27 Jul 2012

This post is just for kids!

If you are getting a little bored and want something to do, here's some science fun that you can eat. Make sure an adult helps you with this activity as you can get a nasty burn.

This is from Bubble Science


 Bubble Candy
There is a wonderful candy filled with bubbles that feels like an edible sponge on your tongue. When this amber-colored treat is covered with chocolate, it’s sometimes called Seafoam or Honeycomb. Grab an apron and an adult helper and make some bubbly candy.

You Will Need

a deep saucepot with tall sides

3 cups (750 mL) sugar

1 1/2 cups (325 mL) golden corn syrup

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1 tsp (5 mL) unflavored gelatin

1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water

a small bowl

1 tbsp (15 mL) baking soda

a wooden spoon

a candy thermometer

10-inch (25-cm) square pan

butter or margarine

an adult helper

What to Do

Note:
The candy mixture is very hot and can cause serious burns. Make certain an adult uses caution when preparing the mixture. Do not touch the candy until it is cool.
1. Pour the sugar, syrup, and salt into the saucepot and stir to mix.
2. Have an adult place the pot on the stove and cook over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.
3. While the adult is busy stirring the mixture, place the gelatin in a small bowl and add the water. Stir to mix.
4. Prepare the pan by using a small amount of butter or margarine to grease the bottom.
 5. Have an adult use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the boiling syrup. When the candy reaches 290 degrees F (145 degrees C), have the adult add the baking soda, stir gently, then add the gelatin. Keep stirring and remove from heat.
6. Have the adult continue to stir the candy gently (so as not to stop the foaming action) for several minutes, then pour the mixture into the greased pan.
7. Let the candy sit until it is cool (at least an hour). To remove from the pan, place the pan into a larger pan of warm water. Make sure the water doesn’t get into the pan with the candy. Have an adult run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the candy.
 8. If you wish, you can melt chocolate and drip it over the candy. Store the candy in an airtight container.

What Happened

As soon as the baking soda was added, the mixture started bubbling. The bubbles were formed because the baking soda, a chemical called sodium bicarbonate, gives off carbon dioxide gas when it is heated. This gas becomes trapped in the heated mixture and forms millions of tiny bubbles. When the candy hardens, the bubbles make it really crunchy.

Bubbles in Food (sidebar)Bubbles can be found in all sorts of food. Take for example the "holes" in Swiss cheese. No, it isn’t a tiny mouse eating round sections out of the cheese. Cheese contains bacteria that give off carbon dioxide gas; as the cheese ripens, the gas forms bubbles. The cheese hardens around these bubbles, and that pretty much accounts for the holes. And now for some really interesting Swiss cheese trivia: The US government has regulations controlling exactly how big the holes, or "eyes," must be for Grade A Swiss cheese. If the holes are too big or too small, it can’t be called Grade A.

Bubbles in Soda

The next time you drink a carbonated beverage, take a close look at the liquid. You should see tiny bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass or bottle. Take a sniff over the top of the glass. Does your nose tickle? The bubbles rising from your drink contain a gas called carbon dioxide. It’s these bubbles that make your drink fizzy. Carbon dioxide gas is added under pressure when the soda is bottled or canned. When you open the container, the pressure drops and the gas can’t stay dissolved in the soda so it comes out. Warmer soda doesn’t hold as much gas as cold soda so if you want to keep that fizzy feeling, you need to drink your soda cold. Then, when it warms up in your mouth, the bubbles will form.

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