What state did you live in and was it early, mid or late semester? Fall or Spring? Most stated publish their science standards so that might give you a clue. In Texas the standards for 7th grade can be found here.gary350 said:What class experiment can be done with bread that has been burned to ashes?
chemisttree said:What state did you live in and was it early, mid or late semester? Fall or Spring? Most stated publish their science standards so that might give you a clue. In Texas the standards for 7th grade can be found here.
Most teachers start with Safety and work through to the environment and then to organisms. It might be a little different in your state but probably not too different. Since bread is food, it might have something to do with energy or nutrition but it could also have had something to do with the environment. It was likely going to be used as a visual aid in a lesson.
This was a standard experiment when I was TA'ing college freshman chem lab 15 or so years ago (we ashed a variety of different foods and analyzed their mineral content), but I'm skeptical of the chemical analysis capabilities of a 7th grade rural classroom in the early 1960's.Lord Jestocost said:Maybe, he wanted to analyze the chemical residues after incinerating bread, which are mostly common salts.
Have a look at:
The Chemical News and Journal of Industrial Science: With ...
I doubt the flame test would tell you anything (probably dominated by bright yellow sodium). The taste, on the other hand...that's a pretty neat idea. Only drawback is that ash from plant matter tends to be quite alkaline.Lord Jestocost said:You are right! But bread ash consists mainly of common salts, which would produce different colors when burned in a flame. Or the ash tastes of salt.
The purpose of the burned bread ash experiment is to demonstrate the chemical reaction that occurs when bread is burned and how it produces ash.
The materials needed for this experiment include bread, a toaster, a metal tray, and a lighter or matches.
To conduct the experiment, simply place a piece of bread in the toaster and let it burn until it turns into ash. Then, carefully remove the ash and place it on a metal tray. Use a lighter or matches to ignite the ash and observe the chemical reaction.
When bread is burned, it undergoes a chemical reaction called combustion. This reaction breaks down the bread's complex molecules, such as carbohydrates and proteins, into simpler molecules like carbon dioxide, water, and ash.
This experiment can teach us about the chemical properties of bread and how it reacts when exposed to high heat. It also illustrates the concept of combustion and the products that result from it.