Me at the Mid-Columbia Regional Science and Engineering Fair
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The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether the amount of arsenic and pH in soil and water from different areas of Yakima County affect the plant growth of Phaseolous vulgarius. I became interested in this experiment when discussing with my grandparents about science projects and they brought the difficulty they encountered will attempting to grow beans in their garden only to find out later that it was due to a high amount of arsenic in their soil. This would benefit society by allowing home growers and farmers to test their soil and water before growing any plants to assure that they do not have any chemicals that could affect the growth of their plants.
My hypothesis was that the area with the highest arsenic level was Tieton Dr. soil, the highest arsenic in water would be the river water. The areas with the highest pH in soil would be Wenas, and the highest pH in the water would be the river. I also predicted that the plants in the Tieton Dr. soil will not grow as well as the other plants, the river water will not grow as well as the other plants. I based my hypothesis on the knowledge that beans do not grow well in areas with high arsenic. And the fact that it is known that Tieton Dr. has a high amount of arsenic in the soil.
The constants in this experiment were:
The results of this experiment were that the Tieton Dr. had the highest amount of arsenic in soil, the river water had the highest amount of arsenic in water, the river had the highest pH in soil, and East Selah had the highest pH in water. Also The plants in Tieton Dr. soil did not grow.
The results indicate that only part of my hypothesis should be accepted because the highest arsenic level was Tieton Dr. soil, the highest arsenic in water would be the river water, and the plants in the Tieton Dr. soil will not grow as well as the other plants. The part of my hypothesis that I should reject is the areas with the highest pH in soil would be Wenas, the highest pH in the water would be the river, and the river water will not grow as well as the other plants. If I were to conduct his experiment again I would have had more soil and water types, an assortment of plants, and I would have grown the plants for a longer time.
The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the amount of arsenic and pH in water and soil form different areas of Yakima County affect the plant growth of Phaseolous vulgarius.
I became interested in this experiment when discussing with my grandparents about science projects and they brought the difficulty they encountered will attempting to grow beans in their garden only to find out later that it was due to a high amount of arsenic in their soil.
This would benefit society by allowing home growers and farmers to test their soil and water before growing any plants to assure that they do not have any chemicals that could affect the growth of their plants.
My hypothesis was that the area with the highest arsenic level was Tieton Dr. soil, the highest arsenic in water would be the river water. The areas with the highest pH in soil would be Wenas, and the highest pH in the water would be the river. I also predicted that the plants in the Tieton Dr. soil will not grow as well as the other plants, the river water will not grow as well as the other plants.
I based my hypothesis on the knowledge that beans do not grow well in areas with high arsenic. And the fact that it is known that Tieton Dr. has a high amount of arsenic in the soil.
The constants in this experiment were:
The responding variable is how much arsenic and pH in the water and soil and how well the plants grew.
To measure the responding variable I measured the height of the plants using a metric ruler, counted the leaves and I used an arsenic test kit and a pH tester.
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Part
A (Arsenic test for water)
1.
Lift the flap on the black cap and slide a test strip into the groove so
that the reactive pad faces the small opening and
completely covers it; secure by pressing the flap back in place.
2.
Fill the reaction vessel with Tieton Dr. water to the fill line (50 mL).
3.
Add the contents of 1 Reagent #1 powder pillow to the sample and swirl
to dissolve.
4.
Add the contents of 1 Reagent #2 powder pillow to the sample and swirl
to dissolve.
5.
Wait at least 3 minutes.
6.
Add the contents of 1 Reagent #3 powder pillow to the sample and swirl
to mix.
7.
Wait at least 2 minutes and swirl again to mix.
8.
Using the plastic scoop, add 1 level scoop of Reagent #4 to the sample
and swirl to mix.
9.
Add the contents of 1 Reagent #5 powder pillow to the sample.
10.
Immediately attach the black cap, with the test strip inserted, to the
reaction vessel. Do not shake or invert! Swirl to mix, do not
allow sample to contact the test strip pad.
11.
Allow vessel to react for 30 minutes, but no more than 35 minutes; swirl
twice during the reaction period.
12.
Remove the test strip and immediately compare the developed color to the
chart on the test strip bottle.
13.
Repeat steps 1-12 with all water types.
Part
B (Arsenic test for soil)
1.
Fill reaction vessel with 5 mL of Tieton Dr. soil.
2.
Add distilled water to the fill line (50 mL).
3.
Lift the flap on the black cap and slide a test strip into the groove so
that the reactive pad faces the small opening and completely covers it;
secure by pressing the flap back in place.
4.
Add the contents of 1 Reagent #1 powder pillow to the sample and swirl
to dissolve.
5.
Add the contents of 1 Reagent #2 powder pillow to the sample and swirl
to dissolve.
6.
Wait at least 3 minutes.
7.
Add the contents of 1 Reagent #3 powder pillow to the sample and swirl
to mix.
8.
Wait at least 2 minutes and swirl again to mix.
9.
Using the plastic scoop, add 1 level scoop of Reagent #4 to the sample
and swirl to mix.
10.
Add the contents of 1 Reagent #5 powder pillow to the sample.
11.
Immediately attach the black cap, with the test strip inserted, to the
reaction vessel. Do not shake or invert! Swirl to mix, do not
allow sample to contact the test strip pad.
12.
Allow vessel to react for 30 minutes, but no more than 35 minutes; swirl
twice during the reaction period.
13.
Remove the test strip and immediately compare the developed color to the
chart on the test strip bottle.
14.
Repeat steps 1-13 with all soil types.
Part
C (pH test for water)
1.
Pour 50 mL of Tieton Dr. into a plastic container.
2.
Place pH tester into the container and wait at least 5 minutes, or until
the scale stops going up.
3.
Read the scale and record.
4.
Repeat steps 1-3 with all water types.
Part
D (pH test for soil)
1.
Pour 50 mL of distilled water into a plastic container.
2.
Add 5 mL of Tieton Dr. soil and swirl.
3.
Place pH tester into the container and wait at least 5 minutes, or until
the scale stops going up.
4.
Read the scale and record.
5.
Repeat steps 1-4 with all soil types.
Part
E (Water)
1.
Place 236.6 mL of potting soil into 40 separate Styrofoam cups.
2.
Plant 1 Phaseolous Vulgarius seed 4 cm deep into the soil in each cup.
3.
Separate the cups in to 5 group and label with the type the different type
of water.
4.
Water each of the different water groups 15 mL of the type of water they
are labeled.
5.
Repeat step 15 every other day for 2 weeks, after 2 weeks increase the
amount of water to 20 mL.
6.
Allow plants to grow for 1 month, measuring the height of the plant everyday
in cm using the metric ruler.
7.
Count the amount of leaves of each plant and record.
Part
F (Soil)
1.
Place 236.6 mL of Tieton Dr. soil into each of the 8 Styrofoam cups.
2.
Plant 1 Phaseolous Vulgarius seed 4 cm deep in the soil in each Styrofoam
cup.
3.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 with each type of soil.
4.
Label each cup with the type of soil.
6.
Plant 1 Phaseolous Vulgarius seed 4 cm deep in the soil in each Styrofoam
cup.
7.
Water each different type of soil with 15 mL of bottled water using the
graduated cylinder.
8.
Repeat step 8 every other day for 2 weeks, after 2 weeks increase the amount
to 20 mL.
9.
Allow plants to grow for 1 month, measuring the height of the plant everyday
in cm using the metric ruler
10.
Count the amount of leaves of each plant and record.
Introduction
Arsenic is a very poisonous substance. People exposed to it can suffer many dangers in their health. It is known that the pH of a substance can increase the affect of arsenic on a organism. The pH of a solution is actually the concentration of positively charged hydrogen ions.
Arsenic
Arsenic is a semimetallic chemical element. The symbol of arsenic is As, with the atomic number 33 and the atomic weight of 74.9216. The normal form of arsenic is the silver-gray, hexagonal, crystalline form which has a gravity of 5.7, melts at 814 degrees Celsius. Arsenic turns black when exposed to air. Many arsenic compounds can dissolve in water. Arsenic and arsine gases are highly poisonous.
Arsenic is so widely distributed that it can be detected practically anywhere. It is one of the less plentiful elements on the basis of its percentage on the earth’s crust, which is approximately hat if tin and molybdenum. Soil contain a few or hardly any parts per billion of arsenic or ppb. Areas that have been sprayed with arsenic pest controls have a dramatically higher amount. The amount of pH can also affect the affect that arsenic has on a organism.
People are exposed to arsenic in many different ways. Eating food, drinking water, or breathing are containing arsenic can expose people to arsenic. Breathing sawdust or burning smoke from wood treated with arsenic. Also living near uncontrolled hazardous waste sites containing arsenic, or areas with unusually high natural levels of arsenic in rock. Some of the affects of the arsenic when ingesting can result in death, nausea, vomiting, decreased production of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart rhythm, damaged blood vessels and a sensation of “needles” in hands and feet. Long time exposure to arsenic can result in darkening of the skin, and the appearance of small corns or warts on the palms, soles, and torso. Skin exposure can result with redness and swelling. Exposure to arsenic has been known to cause numerous cancers such as lung, skin, bladder, liver, kidney, and prostate cancer. It is unknown if arsenic can cause birth defects, although animals exposed to arsenic have shown birth defects.
As of January of 2002 the EPA set new limits on the allowable amount of arsenic on drinking water. Before the amount of arsenic allowable was 50 parts per billion or ppb. The new standards are 10 ppb.
pH
pH is the term indicating the hydrogen ion (positively charged hydrogen atom) concentration of a solution, a measure of the solution’s acidity. The pH of a solution can be measure by the titration of a solution, which consists of the neutralization of the acid (or base) by a measure quantity of the known concentration. The pH of a solution can also be determined directly by measuring the electric potential arising at special electrodes immersed in the solution. Recently the quickest way to test the pH of a solution is using test strips. The most accurate though is using an electrode.
Phaseolous vulgarius
The wax bean or Phaseolous vulgarius is one of the many different types of beans. It is almost identical to green beans and bush beans. The Phaseolous vulgarius bean reaches maturity after 52 days after being planted. Germination occurs approximately 6-14 days after being planted. The best soil for beans are well drained soil, and full sun. The color of the seed varies from white to a vary dark blue colored seed. The seed should always be planted in early spring, after all danger of frost has past.
Conclusion
Arsenic has been used in many different things such as pesticides. If a person becomes exposed to arsenic for a long time the consequences are tragic. The next step to preventing health problems are being made by the EPA to reduce the amount of arsenic in the drinking water.
The original purpose of this experiment was to determine if the amount of arsenic and pH in water and soil form different areas of Yakima County affect the plant growth of Phaseolous vulgarius
The results of this experiment were that the Tieton Dr. had the highest amount of arsenic in soil, the river water had the highest amount of arsenic in water, the river had the highest pH in soil, and East Selah had the highest pH in water. Also The plants in Tieton Dr. soil did not grow.
My hypothesis was that the area with the highest arsenic level was Tieton Dr. soil, the highest arsenic in water would be the river water. The areas with the highest pH in soil would be Wenas, and the highest pH in the water would be the river. I also predicted that the plants in the Tieton Dr. soil will not grow as well as the other plants, the river water will not grow as well as the other plants.
The results indicate that only part of my hypothesis should be accepted because the highest arsenic level was Tieton Dr. soil, the highest arsenic in water would be the river water, and the plants in the Tieton Dr. soil will not grow as well as the other plants. The part of my hypothesis that I should reject is the areas with the highest pH in soil would be Wenas, the highest pH in the water would be the river, and the river water will not grow as well as the other plants.
Because of the results of this experiment I wonder if low pH soil is the best and the waters with no arsenic did not grow as well because they had higher pH. Also if I had grown the plants for a longer time if the beans produced would be mutated.
If I were to conduct his experiment again I would have had more soil and water types, an assortment of plants, and I would have grown the plants for a longer time.
"Arsenic," Campbell, I., Encyclopedia Americana 2000, 2000
"Arsenic," Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, 2000
"Drinking Water Priority Rulemaking: Arsenic," [Online] Available http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ars/arsenic.html, 2001
"EPA
To Implement 10ppb Standard for Arsenic in Drinking Water," [Online] Available
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ars/ars-oct-factsheet.html,
2001
"pH," Encarta Encyclopedia 2000, 2000
"What is Arsenic?," [Online] Available http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts2.html, 2001