CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Do you have leftover candy from the holidays? Here is an extremely quick and easy way to get rid of it, have fun with your kids, and teach them about the solubility of substances.
In this case; water!
What you'll need:
- Candy canes (any kind but the color will depend on what type you use)
- Two glasses/cups/jars
- Access to cold and hot water
I unwrapped the candy canes I was going to use before starting so I would recommend doing the same.
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The goal of the experiment is to see what happens when you put a candy cane in cold water vs. hot water. You may want to encourage the kiddos to come up with their own hypothesis! I focused on using only water since I wanted to discuss solubility of water but you can repeat the experiment with other solutions like oil, vinegar, soda, etc.
Once you're ready to get started, make sure the parents or supervising adult does the hot water to avoid any accidents with any children. Put hot water in one jar and cold water in the other. Put one candy cane in the hot water and another in the cold. Set a timer to see how long it takes to notice any changes.
Then, it's time to wait and observe!
What is supposed to happen and why?
Candy canes, and most candy, are made up of sugar molecules (sucrose) which dissolve in water (see: solubility) because they form bonds with the water molecules. Sugar and water molecules will attract each other and form bonds and if the attraction is strong enough... they will separate!
The sugar and water molecules would separate and dissolve regardless of temperature but it happens a lot quicker in the hot water. Why? As the sugar and water molecules attract each other, they collide. At higher temperatures, there are more collisions because the molecules are bouncing around more and faster (see: kinetic energy), allowing the candy cane to break apart and dissolve faster.
What is solubility and kinetic energy?
Solubility is the ability of a substance (often referred to as the solute) to dissolve in a solvent (usually a liquid. In this case, water) and form a solution.
The kinetic energy of an object is the form of energy it possess due to being in motion.
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