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General Chemistry Science Fair Project

Brand vs. Generic Pain Relievers in Simulated Stomach Acid

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Brand vs. Generic Pain Relievers in Simulated Stomach Acid | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Do brand-name pain relievers dissolve at the same speed as their generic versions? You test six types of tablets: Advil vs. ibuprofen, Bayer vs. aspirin, and Tylenol vs. acetaminophen. Each tablet goes into simulated stomach acid and distilled water heated to body temperature. You time how long each tablet takes to dissolve completely. A magnetic stirrer keeps the liquid moving at a steady rate. You repeat every test four times for reliable results. The results may surprise you. All tablets dissolved faster in distilled water than in stomach acid. Bayer dissolved the fastest overall, and aspirin dissolved the slowest.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that Ibuprofen will dissolve fastest of all pain relievers.

Method & Materials

You will measure the dissolution times of three different pain relievers, comparing brand names to generic names. You will time how long it takes for each pain reliever to dissolve in seconds, by a digital timer (stop watch).
You will need a stopwatch, two 200 mL beakers, eight tablets of Acetaminophen, eight tablets of Tylenol, eight tablets of Aspirin, eight tablets of Bayer, eight tablets of Ibuprofen, eight tablets of Advil, one pair of latex gloves, a microwave, two magnetic stirrers, a celsius thermometer, some distilled water, a roll of paper towels, an apron, a pair of goggles, a 1000 mL beaker, a pen or pencil, and a notebook to record results.

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Results

The results of the experiment showed that all of the pills dissolved faster in distilled water than in gastric stomach acid. Bayer dissolved fastest, followed by Acetaminophen then Tylenol, then Advil, next by Ibuprofen, and finally Aspirin. This stands out as an observation because it shows that the brand name pills did not necessarily dissolve faster than the generic ones.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it tests the effectiveness of generic pain relievers compared to brand name ones. It also shows that the brand name pills did not necessarily dissolve faster than the generic ones.

Also Consider

Variations to consider include testing the experiment with different water temperatures and different speeds of the magnetic stirrers.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.
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