Bad+Acids


 * The Official Bad Acids UEI Project* Danielle Moore, Paige Savill, Daniel Daley, and Jesse Stanley

__Introduction __ :
==== There are 3 pH levels: acids,bases, and neutrals. We know that certain chemicals can alter how acidic, basic, or neutral a substance is, but can weather do the same? Over the past three weeks, it has rained and has been very warm in Boston. During this time, our group has collected soil and water samples and tested their pH levels to determine if weather has the capabilty of altering pH levels. ====

__Question__:
How can the weather affect the pH levels of our local soil and water? __Hypothesis __ :  We believe that the weather can have an effect on the pH on the water and soil in the area. When it rains, the rain is slightly acidic, so we think that the rainfall would have an overall effect on the soil and water around the West Roxbury Educational Complex.

Experiment __Materials__ : __Procedure __ : Soil Test: __Water Test__: 
 * Soil pH kit
 * Water pH kit
 * soil from football field
 * pondwater
 * shovel
 * gloves
 * UEI worksheets
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 121%;">goggles
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 121%;">aprons
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Retrieve a shovel full of soil from the football field
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Get a Soil pH Test kit from teacher and read the directions
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Put on goggles and aprons
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Begin the test by filling a clean test tube to line 4 with pH indicator
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Use a 0.5g spoon and add 3 level spoonfulls of soil to the testtube containing pH indicator
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Cap the test tube and shake gently for 1 minute
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Allow the test tube to sit for approximately 10 minutes
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">After 10 minutes has passed, compare the color of the test tube contents to the pH wide range color chart from the Soil Test kit.
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">See which color on the chart matches that of the test tube the closest.
 * 10) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Record your data and clean the equipment for later use
 * 11) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Repeat test after a weather change has occurred
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">Collect a bucket full of water from the pond
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">Take a Water pH Test kit and read the directions
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">Put on goggles and aprons
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">Begin the test by filling ta clean test tube to line 5 with pondwater
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">Add 10 drops of pH indicator to the test tube with pondwater
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">Allow the test tube and its contents to sit for 10 minutes
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">After 10 minutes compare the color change in the test tube to the pH wide range color chart
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">Record your data and clean the equipment for later use
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">Repeat the test again after a weather change has occurred

Results <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 120%;">According to our two tests we took, it does not look like weather has much to do with the pH of soil or water. Our results inform us that although the weather was different on both occasions that we took our samples, our results were relatively the same.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 4/13/2009 (Rain): Soil pH: 8.0 water pH: 7.0 4/29/2009 (Dry) soil pH:7.5 water pH: 6.5

<span style="color: rgb(255,0,0); font-size: 180%;">__Conclusion__ : <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">As time passed and weather changes occurred, our group noticed slight changes in the pH levels of the water and soil around the West Roxbury Educational Complex. The soil became more basic and the pondwater became more acidic. Before beginning this experiment, our group had originally intended to test the pH levels at least 3 times. However, given the time we were provided and lack of weather changes, we could only test the pH levels twice. If we had tested the pH levels more, I am sure we would have a more efficient and varied results than in this experiment. In the future, we will give ourselves more time to test the soil and water pH levels in a more controlled environment to ensure efficient results.