Tissue Paper Experiment

Words: 1961
Pages: 8

Tissue Papers Absorb Less Liquid in Volume When Concentration of Salt Increases This study was done in an effort to find out the minimum number of papers needed to wipe up a spill so that anyone could prevent wasting paper. In this investigation, sheets of tissue papers were dipped into salt water with different concentrations and soaked until the water traveled to the top, then the amount of water a paper absorbed in terms of both the mass and the volume was recorded. The result showed a strong, positive linear relationship between mass absorbed and salt concentrations, while it showed a slight decrease in volume absorbed with increasing salt concentrations. Further researches could be done to change the substances or even mix different solvents …show more content…
Using a thin-layer chromatography, or TLC, the position in which molecules stop advancing upwards could be observed. By applying the TLC method to this experiment, different traveling distances of a certain chemical, with changing salt concentrations of water, can be measured. In this investigation, however, sheets of tissue papers were dipped into salt water with different concentrations and soaked until the water traveled to the top, so the method was different from the TLC experiment. Consequently, the volume of liquid absorbed will likely not change with different salt concentrations since every time the paper will be dipped into the solution until it completely absorbed water, each time in the same manner. Moreover, the mass of solution absorbed will increase because the density of the solution increases with increasing concentration. By knowing the volume of a liquid one sheet of paper can absorb, it is possible to figure out the minimum number of tissue papers to take out of the box when cleaning up a spill, which prevents wasting natural …show more content…
To acquire precise results, it was assured that no water splashed outside the dish while shaking. Moreover, in this step, at least two-thirds of the paper did not stick within itself or folded, to ensure similar outcome was obtained each trial. The swinging process was implemented to duplicate situations where the tissue used to clean the mess on a table has to be carried to a garbage can without dribbling on the floor. After swinging, the amount of water left in the glass plate was