Reaction Powered Car Hannah Smith Amber Fulkerson Marissa Yee

Reaction Chemistry Theoretical Predictions

Car Designs

Testing Results Trial Sodium Bicarbonate (g) Sulfuric Acid (mL) Water (mL) Distance (ft.)

Conclusion Part 1 of 2 The reaction powered car was powered by reaction of diluted sulfuric acid and water solution combined with sodium bicarbonate. The best run was the car going 13.5 inches over the goal line. The distance the car traveled was dependent on the time between the initial reaction and when the cap was twisted open. Allowing more pressure to build up inside the bottle made the car go farther. However, the longer we waited for the pressure to build up, there were chemicals and gas leaking out of the bottle which would keep the car from going a long distance. The volume of sulfuric acid and water used for the reaction was determined by testing distance the car would travel at varying volumes. 165 mL of water and 5 mL of sulfuric acid was determined to give the distance and less spewing. The mass of sodium bicarbonate used was 12 g. A volume of 175 mL of water was initially kept constant, but when the amount of sodium bicarbonate and sulfuric acid was decreased, the car either crashed into the wall or did not move at all. Overall, the distance the car traveled was not reliable, but the car was able to go a long distance.

Conclusion Part 2 of 2 The reaction powered car design worked well because the design was able to hold the Propel bottle and move when the pressure was released from the bottle. The car could be designed to hold two bottles, one to contain the reacting chemicals and another to hold the gas pressure created by the chemical reaction. Utilizing a two bottle system would prevent spewing of chemicals. A different type of bottle which would prevent the leakage of pressure and spewing could also be used. Another type of acid could be tested to see if one acid had less spewing and gave a more reliable distance. Hydrochloric acid seemed to be more effective and reliable to getting a car to travel 25 feet.