Year 5 are really enjoying learning about properties and changes of materials in science lessons. Last week, they learnt how to test the PH of different liquids to see if they were an acid, alkali or if they were neutral. They learnt about the PH scale and what colours indicate acids and alkalis. This week year 5 have been learning about neutralising acids. They started off with pure acid (vinegar) and predicted how many grams of (alkali) bicarbonate of soda it would take to neutralise the acid. After each gram they tested the liquid to see if it was changing and becoming more neutral. It took 21 grams of alkali to completely neutralise the acid. They continued their investigations by slightly diluting the acid a bit more each time they repeated the investigation and correctly predicted that it would take less alkali each time to neutralise the acid. As the bicarbonate of soda was added to the vinegar the children observed bubbling, foaming and fizzing and knew a chemical reaction was taking place. They also learnt the medical benefits of neutralising acids, for example when treating heartburn alkali medication can be taken to neutralise the stomach acid. Well done year 5 you are becoming amazing scientists!
