VanCleave's Science Fun

Your Guide to Science Projects, Fun Experiments, and Science Research

ABOUT THE SOUND PICTURE

With mouth wide open, vibrating air coming up the throat from the vocal chords leaving the open mouth and spreading in all directions. Hi, I am Janice VanCleave, author of 50+ best-selling science experiment books for children ages 4 through high school. I taught science for 27 years and now am creating this science website.   My scream was not staged. The picture was to be of two adult cats, which I was holding. A microsecond before the camera snapped, the two cats dug their claws into my skin as they prepared to leap out of my arms. A picture like this is great for making inferences. Kids could make "guesses" as to why I am screaming. They would be drawing on facts from the photo, such as I look like I am in pain or maybe I am just pretending.

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Home » Water Absorbing Chemical in Disposable Diapers

Water Absorbing Chemical in Disposable Diapers

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Why is it dangerous for a child to swim in a disposable diaper?

Disposable diapers are able to hold so much water that the weight of the water soaked diaper could cause the child to fall. Thus, disposable diapers should not be worn when a child is in water.

Why Diapers Absorb Large Amounts of Water

The water absorbing chemical in disposable diapers is  sodium polyacrylate. Sodium polyacrylate forms a gel when mixed with water. This gel has a framework in which water is held much-like the way gelatin in jello holds water. Unlike gelatin, sodium polyacrylate can absorb as much as 300 times it weight in tap water.

I have collected powdered sodium polyacrylate from new disposable diapers.

For more advanced  information about sodium polyacrylate as well as ideas for developing a science project about diaper absorbency, see Mega-Absorbers: Osmotically Speaking, in “A+ Projects in Chemistry.”

A+ Projects in Chemistry

Are you having a hard time coming up with a good idea for the science fair? Do you want to earn extra credit in your chemistry class? Or do you just want to know how the world really works? Janice VanCleave’s A+ Projects in Chemistry can help you, and the best part is it won’t involve any complicated or expensive equipment. This step-by-step guide explores 30 different topics and offers dozens of experiment ideas. The book also includes charts, diagrams, and illustrations. Here are just a few of the topics you’ll be investigating: *Acid/base reactions * Polymers * Crystals * Electrolytes * Denaturing proteins You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to turn your ideas into winning science fair projects.

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