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General Chemistry Science Fair Project

Alcohol Proof and Orange Dehydration

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Alcohol Proof and Orange Dehydration | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does stronger alcohol always pull more water out of fruit? Common sense says higher proof means more dehydration. The results may surprise you. You cut a hole in each of five oranges and weigh them. Then you pour 25 milliliters of a different liquid into each one. The five liquids range from water to 100 proof alcohol. After waiting, you weigh each orange again and compare the weight lost. The 100 proof alcohol caused the most loss at 4.9 grams. But the 48 proof came in second at 4.5 grams. The ranking did not follow a simple strongest-to-weakest pattern.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the higher the proof of alcohol, the higher the dehydration rate will be.

Method & Materials

You will need to buy five oranges, cut holes into each one, and pour twenty-five milliliters of liquid into the appropriate one.
You will need five oranges, five different types of alcohol, and water.

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Results

The results showed that the 100 proof alcohol had the most dehydration, followed by the 48 proof alcohol, then the 70 proof alcohol, then the 80 proof alcohol, and finally the water had the least amount of dehydration. This was not what was expected, as the higher proof alcohol was not always the most dehydrating.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows that the higher proof of alcohol is not always the most dehydrating, which is contrary to popular belief.

Also Consider

Variations to consider include testing different types of fruits, testing different amounts of alcohol, and testing different types of alcohol.

Full project details

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