How Water and Temperature Affect Sugar – ThinkStretch (2024)

How Water and Temperature Affect Sugar – ThinkStretch (1)

The Peppermint Experiment: How Water and Temperature Affect Sugar https://thinkstretch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Peppermint.jpg 1200 900adminadminhttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/93c049233ae4b274f7b3b443765808b9?s=96&d=mm&r=g

Why does a peppermint disappear in your mouth while you suck on it? For our activity, we’re going to see how temperature and water affect sugar!

What you need:

  • Peppermint candies
  • Three cups
  • Water
  • Timer

What you do:

First, we need some variables for our experiment. We’ll start with temperature. Fill one cup with hot water, one with cold water, and the last with room temperature water. Havethe kids make predictions about what will happen to the candies in each cup.

Next, allow children to unwrap the peppermints and place one in each cup. Use the timer to see how long it takes each peppermint to begin to change in the water.

Questions to consider:

  1. What happened to the peppermints in each cup?
  2. In which temperature cup did the peppermint change the fastest?
  3. Do you think this could happen with other candies?

Why it works:

Water breaks down the bonds between sugar molecules, causing sugar to dissolve. The heat of the hot water makes sugar molecules move quicker, dissolving the sugar faster than the cold or room temperature water. Thelower temperature of the cold water makes the molecules slow down, dissolving the mint less quickly. Try tasting the water! It should taste like sweet peppermint. Despite sugar molecules breaking apart from each other, the individual molecules stay stuck together, causing the taste.

How Water and Temperature Affect Sugar – ThinkStretch (2024)

FAQs

What is the conclusion of the dissolving sugar in water experiment? ›

It finds that: 1) The solubility of solids like sugar increases as the temperature of the solvent (water) increases, allowing more solute to dissolve. 2) The solubility of gases decreases as the temperature of the solvent (water) increases, causing more bubbles and less gas to remain dissolved.

Why do mints dissolve in water? ›

When you add the candy to the water, the water (solvent) molecules are attracted to the sugar (solute) molecules. Once the attraction becomes large enough the water is able to pull individual sugar molecules from the bulk sugar crystals into the solution.

How long does it take for peppermint to dissolve? ›

I emptied and cleaned the water bath. I repeated the same procedure for each flavor. My results were: the peppermint dissolved at 43 minutes, Wint O Green 51 minutes, Spearmint 55 minutes, Orange 57 minutes, Sugar Free Wint O Green 77 minutes, and Sugar Free Pep O Mint 78 minutes.

How does temperature affect sugar dissolving in water? ›

The reason why sugar dissolves at a faster rate in hot water has to do with increased molecular motion. The added energy in the hot water causes water molecules to move faster and sucrose molecules to vibrate faster. This added movement tends to make the bonds between sucrose molecules easier to overcome.

Why does water dissolve sugar explain your answer? ›

Sucrose is a polar molecule. The polar water molecules attract the negative and positive areas on the polar sucrose molecules which makes sucrose dissolve in water. A nonpolar substance like mineral oil does not dissolve a polar substance like sucrose.

Why does candy dissolve in hot water? ›

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. That makes the water molecules knock the molecules of the pieces of candy off faster.

Does mint affect the temperature of water? ›

Temperature changes were observed in beakers with ice cubes and hot water. However, no change in temperature was observed when mint or chili was dissolved in water. At the end of the experiment, we explained that menthol in mints and capsaicin in chili can both bind onto the temperature sensor on human tongue.

Why does water dissolve candy 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.

Can I boil mint and drink it? ›

For a quicker infusion, you can also boil your mint water for 3–5 minutes before letting it cool. Also, you can enjoy it as a hot mint tea. Making mint water at home is as simple as covering a few sprigs of fresh mint with water and allowing time for its flavor to be absorbed.

Does peppermint lower temperature? ›

When you consume mint or mint-flavored foods or drinks, the menthol interacts with the receptors in your skin and mouth, creating a cooling effect. It triggers the cold-sensitive receptors, which can make you feel cooler even though the actual temperature of your body remains the same.

Should you wash mint before eating? ›

Rinse the mint under cool water and dry it with a towel.

Then, use another clean towel to pat the mint dry. Alternatively, place the mint in a salad spinner and give it a few spins to dry it off. Always clean herbs before you use or store them, as they can contain trace amounts of dirt, bacteria, or pesticide residue.

What is the conclusion of the sugar water density experiment? ›

Adding sugar to the water increases the density of the water, so the more sugar in the solution, the greater the density. The blue sugar solution has the most sugar so it is the densest as it has the highest number of sugar particles per 100ml of water.

What is the reaction of dissolving sugar in water? ›

Dissolution of sugar in water is a physical change because it does not result in the formation of a new substance. It is a reversible change as sugar and water can be extracted back from the solution by the process of crystallization followed by evaporation.

What is the observation when sugar dissolves in water? ›

When you stir a spoonful of sugar into a glass of water, you are forming a solution. This type of liquid solution is composed of a solid solute, which is the sugar, and a liquid solvent, which is the water. As the sugar molecules spread evenly throughout the water, the sugar dissolves.

Which statement describes what happens when sugar dissolves in water? ›

The best statement that describes what is happening when sugar dissolves in water is that a large collection of sugar molecules breaks into individual molecules and disperses in the water. When sugar is added to water, it dissolves and the sugar molecules break down to form individual molecules.

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