Acidity of Beverages—Advanced Inquiry Laboratory Kit

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Big Idea 1, Investigation 4, Primary Learning Objective 1.20. How much acid is in fruit juice? Fruit juices get their sweet taste from sugars and their sour or tart taste from weak acids such as citric acid. If the juice contains too much sugar, it will taste bland, but too much acid and the juice will taste sour. The concentration of acids in various consumer beverages may be determined by titration with sodium hydroxide. Students begin with an introductory activity for determining the proper indicator to use in the titration of acetic acid, a characteristic weak acid. The results provide a model for guided-inquiry design of a titration procedure to obtain titration curve data and calculate the molar concentration of acid in a beverage. Experiments may be performed as a cooperative class study or as open-inquiry activities. Three juice samples are provided, but students may also use any other light-colored soft drink or beverage. A wonderful real-world example of everyday chemistry that fulfills key learning objectives such as designing experiments, interpreting data, and using stoichiometric calculations to predict reaction results! Complete for 24 students working in pairs.