Acid Dissolving Test (2024)

Acid Dissolving Test (1)

Here’s an easy, kid-friendly science project you can do at home!

Time: 1 hour
Skill level: Medium

Your digestive system uses acid. Does that mean that acid dissolves candy?

What you need:
Candy that dissolves easily (conversation hearts, Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, or Nerds)
Small clear bowls
Room-temperature water
Vinegar

What to do:
1. Pour vinegar in one bowl and water in another bowl. (If you have several kinds of candy, you may want to use more bowls.)
2. Put one piece of candy in vinegar and one in water.
3. Check your candy every few minutes. Which dissolves faster?

What’s happening:
You might think that since your stomach contains acid, the acetic acid in vinegar will break up or dissolve candy. But acetic acid reacts only with certain kinds of substances—and sugar isn’t one of them. In fact, candy might dissolve more slowly in vinegar, since the acetic acid molecules don’t dissolve sugar as well as water does.

Although your stomach does contain acid, it plays less of a role in digestion than you might think. Acids don’t break up components in your food like carbohydrates (such as sugar) or fats. That work is done by digestive enzymes (although some of those reactions go faster when acid is present).

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Find more experiments and science fair ideas in the book, Candy Experiments 2 by Loralee Leavitt/Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC.

Published: January 2015

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Acid Dissolving Test (2024)

FAQs

Can you dissolve a body completely in the acid test? ›

Acids can dissolve a body more completely than lye—liquefying even the bones and teeth—but it takes longer and can be hazardous. British murderer John George Haigh used sulfuric acid to dissolve at least six of his victims in the 1940s.

How do you test the acidity of candy? ›

Sprinkle a spoonful of baking soda into water. Watch for bubbles. If it bubbles, the candy is acidic.

How does acid dissolve things? ›

The hydrogen ions bond with water molecules, leading to a higher concentration of hydronium ions (H3O+) than in pure water. This increases the dissociation of any solute by quickly reacting with any solute ions in the solution. Owing to this reason, acids can dissolve many substances more efficiently than pure water.

Why does water dissolve skittles faster than vinegar? ›

In fact, candy might dissolve more slowly in vinegar, since the acetic acid molecules don't dissolve sugar as well as water does. Although your stomach does contain acid, it plays less of a role in digestion than you might think. Acids don't break up components in your food like carbohydrates (such as sugar) or fats.

Can you actually dissolve a body in sulfuric acid? ›

Most concentrated strong acids, such as sulphuric or hydrochloric, will dissolve bodies. However, acids aren't as good as bases for hydrolysing esters, such as those found in fatty tissues, so a strongly basic solution such as conc. sodium hydroxide would dissolve the organic matter more effectively.

Can hydrofluoric acid dissolve humans in Breaking Bad? ›

What acid do they use in Breaking Bad to dissolve bodies? Walter White uses hydrofluoric acid to dissolve bodies. Though it is very corrosive, it is not a good acid to use for dissolving bodies.

What is the most acidic candy in the world? ›

Toxic Waste is regarded as the sourest candy in the whole world! This is the only double action super sour candy on the market. These unassuming little guys are hazardously sour and will make your face pucker up instantly!

What is the best way to test acidity? ›

Red litmus turns blue in basic solutions, blue litmus turns red in acidic solution, and neutral litmus (usually purple) turns red in acidic solutions and blue in basic solutions. To find the specific pH of a sample, you will need a pH test paper or strip that is more precise than a litmus strip.

Does sugar neutralize acid How can you tell? ›

Why the approach works: Though the sugar will not actually neutralize acidity, it changes our perception of other tastes, mellowing tartness while maintaining the sauce's complexity.

What is the best acid to dissolve things? ›

Hydrofluoric acid is corrosive stuff. Hydrofluoric acid attacks the silicon oxide in most types of glass. It also dissolves many metals (not nickel or its alloys, gold, platinum, or silver), and most plastics.

What things can acid not dissolve? ›

Plastics generally do not react with acids and the plastics which are used for acid storage are especially unreactive. Glass also does not react with hydrochloric acid. Metals react readily with hydrochloric acid, so they are not used to store this acid. Therefore, hydrochloric acid does not dissolve plastic.

What is the strongest acid in the world? ›

Fluoroantimonic acid is the strongest acid ever discovered. Antimony, fluorine, and hydrogen are the main components. It is a mixture of hydrogen fluoride and antimony pentafluoride that contains a number of different cations and anions. It has a pH of quintillion times that of percent sulfuric acid.

What liquids dissolve candy the fastest? ›

The candy will dissolve faster in the cup with the hot water. There will be more wavy lines in the cup with the hot water. c. Hard candy in hot water should dissolve faster than in cold because the molecules of hot water are moving faster and hit the candy more often and harder than in cold.

Which dissolves faster in water an M&M or a skittle? ›

The color seems to come off the Skittle a little faster than from the M&M but the colored coating dissolves from both. Do you think the candy coating on an M&M and Skittles are made from similar ingredients? Yes. They are probably both made from sugar and coloring because they seem to dissolve in a similar way.

Why would an M&M dissolve in water faster than alcohol? ›

The alcohol molecules don't have as many positive and negative areas as the water. The alcohol molecules can't attract the coloring and sugar molecules as well as the water so the candy coating doesn't dissolve well in alcohol.

Can fluoroantimonic acid dissolve humans? ›

Fluoroantimonic acid is 2×1019 (20 quintillion) times stronger than 100% sulfuric acid. 1 Fluoroantimonic acid has a H0 (Hammett acidity function) value of -31.3. Dissolves glass and many other materials and protonates nearly all organic compounds (such as everything in your body).

Can human stomach acid dissolve paper? ›

Stomach acid is a “strong” acid (Hydrochloric acid), and would also dissolve the paper itself. This happens fairly quickly depending somewhat on the type and thickness of the paper. Paper will be broken down, but the insoluble cellulose, as form of fiber will pass through the alimentary canal and be eliminated.

Does acid destroy DNA? ›

Strong acid destroys DNA and RNA by breaking the phosphodiester backbone.

Can acid dissolve metal? ›

Many, but not all, metals react with acids. Hydrogen gas forms as the metals react with the acid to form salts. This means that you can use acids to dissolve most metals, this depends on the kind of metal used and the concentration, or strength, of the acid used.

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