Marshmallow Experiment
The household item I choose was a marshmallow. When most people think of marshmallows they think of campfires and s’mores but I experimented with marshmallows in ways most people wouldn’t think too. By testing their physical and chemical properties I found out that marshmallows do not dissolve very easily.
Things I observed before the experiment:
1. The color of the marshmallow is white 2. The surface of the marshmallow was smooth
3. All the marshmallows weighed .25 oz
4. All marshmallows were between 3 cm by 3 cm and 4 cm by 4 cm
Chemical changes that I observed:
1. With the White Rain Extra Hold hairspray my original idea was the marshmallow would disintegrate but the only change that I noticed was a change in the texture of the marshmallow (it became very slimy) and the hairspray changed a murky white color. I concluded that the hairspray did not chemical change the marshmallow.
2. The next experiment I conducted was with gasoline, again I thought that the gasoline would eat away the marshmallow and cause it to disintegrate, however like with the hairspray I was wrong. After five minutes of soaking the marshmallow I noticed that the marshmallow now smelled like gasoline, but that was the only change. Because odor is a characteristic of a chemical change the gasoline did chemically change the marshmallow.
3. After the gasoline I used muriatic acid, which is commonly used to clean pools. After 6:56:9 seconds of soaking the marshmallow it dissolved. I concluded that a chemical change did occur because the marshmallow reacted with the chemicals.
4. The next experiment I conducted was with drain opener. Just like with the muriatic acid the marshmallow disintegrated, however it took longer (14:09:9 seconds). I concluded that a chemical change did occur because the marshmallow reacted with the chemicals.
5. After the drain opener I attempted to change the marshmallows chemical properties with bleach. After a very long hour and five minutes the marshmallow finally disintegrated. Again I concluded that a chemical change did occur because the marshmallow reacted with the chemicals.
6. The last way I tested the chemical properties was by catching the marshmallow on fire. Before I caught the marshmallow on fire it weighed .25 oz and was white with a very smooth texture. After it caught on fire it weighed .2 oz and the color had changed significantly. The color after the fire was black on the outside with some spots of brown, however on the inside it was still the same white color. I concluded that the fire chemically changed the marshmallow because a gas was produced.
Physical change that I observed:
1. Stretch- the original dimensions of the marshmallow were 3 cm by 3 cm but after I stretched the marshmallow its dimensions were 4 cm by 4 cm. This is an example of a physical change because the length of the marshmallow was changed.
2. Freezing-Next, I placed the marshmallow in the freezer for thirty minutes. Before I did this I observed that the texture of the marshmallow was smooth and soft, but after the marshmallow was frozen it became very hard. Because hardness is a physical property, I concluded that a physical change had occurred.
3. Cut- After I froze the marshmallow I cut the marshmallow in half. I changed the size from one marshmallow (3 cm by 3 cm) to two separate marshmallows (3 cm by 2 cm and 3 cm by 2.5 cm). This is an example of a physical change because length was changed and length is a physical property.
4. Hammer- I also hammered the marshmallow to test it malleability. Because malleability is a physical property and the marshmallow was malleable a physical change occurred.
5. Microwave- I also microwaved a marshmallow for forty five seconds after the forty five seconds I noticed that the marshmallow went from being dull not so shiny to very shiny the size of the marshmallow also went from being 3 cm by 3 cm to being 17 cm by 4 cm, so the size greatly increased. Because the luster of the marshmallow changed and luster is a physical property the marshmallow underwent a physical change.
6. Food coloring- I also added green food coloring the marshmallow, because I injected the food coloring and did not chemically do anything to change the marshmallows original color, the food coloring allowed the marshmallow to undergo a physical change.
