Did you ever wonder why rocks dissolve over generations or why chalk disappears in certain liquids? Well so did I until I came up with an inventive experiment to figure it out. I wanted to figure out why an acid would react with a base. I had to think of a way to demonstrate this. However, this experiment obviously couldn't involve rocks dissolving because I didn't want to wait for generations to get results. I did this experiment in under a week and figured out why an acid dissolves a base.
Erosion is a natural process by which acidic rain degrades solid objects on the ground. I realized that demonstrating erosion would be nearly impossible because it would take a long time. However, it is possible to show how something acidic can degrade a solid object when exposed to it over a period of time. I thought of using hydrochloric acid but then decided that HCl was too acidic and it would not prove my point. Instead I decided to use lemon juice, vinegar and pure water for a control. The solid object I was going to use was chalk. I started the experiment by placing three identical pieces of chalk into a cup of lemon juice, vinegar and water. The chalk was at least ¾ submerged in the solutions. I waited for a week before observing the results. When I observed the outcome, I was surprised to see my invention had worked. .
Since both lemon juice and vinegar are acidic, they were supposed to dissolve anything basic over a period of time. Chalk is made of a rock called limestone which is primarily calcium carbonate. The acid interacted with the CaCO3 which resulted in the break up of bonds. The result was Ca dissolved in the solution and carbon dioxide. Acid rain is much weaker than vinegar or lemon juice. That explains why everything in nature made of organic material is not decomposed by now. .
I have also invented a physical object for everyday human use. People wearing eyeglasses are usually at a disadvantage seeing sideways and backwards because of the frames and thick lens.