CHEMICAL REACTIONS VS SHROVE TUESDAY
Did you know that most chemical reactions take place in the kitchen?
Last Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) – an important day in the church’s calendar. Year Five were also learning about chemical reactions in science. Why not combine the two for fun and enjoyment! Hence have a chemical reaction with the product being a pancake. What would the reactants be? Scroll to the bottom to find out.
Year Five set about getting all their reactants ready – flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Heat was the final component needed but this was to be handled by the adult. There were two teams. However, after tasting the products, it was agreed that it was a draw.
Here are the two teams – ‘British Bakers’ and ‘Cakes and Pans’ – at work. It was so much fun.
Answer: The reactants were flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Heat was required. Product – pancakes.
When you fry an egg, what are the reactants and what’s the product?
When you steam rice, what are the reactants and what’s the product?
What other chemical reactions can you think about?
Not all chemical reactions require heat. Year Five carried out some further investigations. This time no heat was required. They mixed milk with vinegar – what do you think happened?
Then they mixed bicarbonate of soda with vinegar. This time they needed a balloon as well as the product was an invisible gas. Do you know what gas they produced? Clue: Humans breath this gas out.
Next time you are cooking – name your reactants and products.