Antacids Experiment
Purpose
The purpose of our experiment was to have a better understanding of how different antacids work and react with our stomachs by seeing which antacid, between Gaviscon Extra Strength and TUMS Extra Strength, is more effective and what ingredients make it so. (1) An antacid’s duty is to neutralize excess amounts of stomach acid that are beginning to go back up the esophagus, which is felt as a burning sensation in the lower chest (heartburn). Once the antacids have neutralized the stomach acid, heartburn is no longer felt. (1 and 2) Antacids are bases that are generally made up of salts, or magnesium, aluminum, calcium, and sodium. To showcase how each antacid would act when taken, we used hydrochloric acid to represent stomach acid. (2) Hydrochloric acid is an accurate representation of stomach acid because there is a concentration of this HCl (hydrochloric acid) in gastric juice and it is the acid used to design antacid products.
Different antacids have different effects because of their active ingredients, (3) which are the components in the product that is going to cause a chemical change. (4) Sodium carbonate, which has been used to reduce heartburn since about 3,500 years ago, is one common active ingredient used to lower the effects of heartburn and is currently used in Alka Seltzer. (4) Magnesium hydroxide became more popular than sodium carbonate in the 19th century, as it was proved to be more effective. (4) Because both sodium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide worked to stop heartburn after it started, scientist attempted, and failed, to create an antacid that stopped heartburn before it happened. (4) The active ingredient in this antacid was calcium carbonate and actually caused in excess of alkalinity—dubbed “milk-alkali syndrome”—to be produced in those who used the product frequently. (5 and 6) Now, antacids recommend that their product is used for no more than two weeks.
(5 and 6) Gaviscon Extra Strength’s active ingredients are 160 mg of aluminum hydroxide and 105 mg of magnesium carbonate, while TUMS Extra Strength is made of 750 mg of calcium carbonate. Because both of the products have different active ingredients, our experiment is a good model for testing which chemical mixture is best at neutralizing stomach acid.
Process
To perform our lab, we used 120 mL of 0.1M hydrochloric acid, two 50 mL beakers, a pH meter (connected to a computer using the program LoggerPro), 6 tablets of Gaviscon Extra Strength, 6 tablets of TUMS Extra Strength, a mortar and pestle, a scapula, and a glass stirring rod. After gathering all our materials on the lab bench, I crushed up two tablets of Gaviscon Extra Strength using the mortar and pestle—(5 and 6) this is the lowest recommended dosage for both TUMS Extra Strength and Gaviscon Extra Strength and crushing them imitates them being chewed. My partner tested the pH value of the HCl by pouring it into a beaker and using a pH meter connected to her computer.
Product
Between Gaviscon Extra Strength and TUMS Extra Strength, Gaviscon is more effective at neutralizing stomach acid. When testing the pH of the HCl after two crushed up Gaviscon Extra Strength tablets had been added, the pH value was closer to seven (neutral) than the TUMS Extra Strength’s trials were each time. To accurately reach the conclusion that Gaviscon Extra Strength is more effective than TUMS Extra Strength, my partners and I did some calculations.
We first calculate both the range and average of the three trials for both antacids. Then, we divided the range by the average for each antacid to come up with their percent variation—how precise our data were. Both Gaviscon Extra Strength and TUMS Extra Strength have very low percent variations—1.94% and 0.73%—which means that our data are very precise. To clarify that Gaviscon Extra Strength is truly more effective than TUMS Extra Strength, we found the range of values for both antacid. The range of values is found by adding and subtracting the range from the average, resulting in two different numbers that would be the range of our data. To reach a clear conclusions, the range of values for Gaviscon Extra Strength and TUMS Extra Strength had to not overlap each other, and they did not; Gaviscon ranged from 6.14–6.24 and TUMS ranged from 5.43–5.47.
The pH value of HCl changing on LoggerPro.
Testing pH value of Gaviscon Extra Strength in HCl.
Reflection
We stayed very consistent during our experiment to make sure that each trial was performed the same as the others, though we did make a few mistakes that could have altered our data. We had originally planned to use 25 mL of HCl in each trial, but we used a beaker (as opposed to a graduated cylinder) to measure it out. Though we used the same amount of HCl each time, it was not the amount we had originally planned and may not have been exactly the same amount each time. Also, we did not have a set amount of time we should wait for the pH meter to settle on a certain number. We mentally counted to ten when the pH meter seemed to stop on a number, but I don’t think this is the most reliable way to test the pH. (5 and 6) Gaviscon Extra Strength advertises that the tablets provide a “fast-acting solution” to heartburn while TUMS Extra Strength advertise that they work “in seconds”. I believe we should have set a certain amount of time that would fit with both “fast-acting” and “a matter of seconds” (maybe 1 minute) and put the pH meter in for that amount of time for each trial. This way, our numbers would be the pH value of what Gaviscon Extra Strength and TUMS Extra Strength change the stomach acid to be after the same amount of time, not the final number met. Another issue arose when crushing up the TUMS Extra Strength, which led to a lot of it sticking to the mortar and pestle. If we had crushed it up and managed to scraped all of it out into the HCl, the pH value may have been different.
One way we could have made our experiment even better would have been if we tested all three different recommended dosages of the antacids. This would require us to perform nine tests for each antacid, which we did not really have the time for, but it would be interesting to see what using more antacids does to the pH value. Does it speed up the neutralization process? Does it just last longer? Lastly, although using HCl to represent stomach acid works in an experiment, it does not show any other side effects that the antacid would have on your body, if any. (6 and 7) From what I learned by doing some background research on antacids, consuming magnesium or aluminum (the active ingredients in Gaviscon Extra Strength) can cause digestive issues, but may balance each other out when used together. Calcium carbonate, the active ingredient in TUMS Extra Strength, was previously used in a product that caused in excess of alkali in those using it for more than two weeks. Our experiment would not be able to track either of these effects of antacids, only its effect on stomach acid.