The Great Peanut Problem continued
5© 2018 Flinn Scientific, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Teacher’s Notes
The Great Peanut Problem
Master Materials List (for a class of 30 students working in pairs)
Balance, centigram (0.01 g precision), 3 Matches, 15
Calorimeter and lid, 15* Snack foods (Cheetos
®
, marshmallows, peanuts,
Erlenmeyer flask with plastic spill-rim
popcorn, etc.), 30 pieces
collar, 125-mL, 15* Stirring rods, glass, 15
Food holder and pin, 15* Thermometers or temperature sensors, 15
Graduated cylinder, 50-mL, 15 Water
* These items are included in the Economy-choice Calorimeter available from Flinn Scientific (Catalog No. AP4533.)
Safety Precautions
Wear safety goggles whenever working with chemicals, glassware, or heat in the laboratory. Exercise care when handling hot glassware and
equipment. Allow the burned snack food sample to cool before handling it. The food-grade items that have been brought into the lab are con-
sidered laboratory chemicals and are for laboratory use only. Do not taste or ingest any materials in the chemistry laboratory. Burning dif-
ferent foods may generate a large amount of smoke—perform this experiment in a well-ventilated room. Do not use peanuts in this experi-
ment if any students are allergic to peanuts.
Disposal
Please consult your current Flinn Scientific Catalog/Reference Manual for general guidelines and specific procedures governing
the disposal of laboratory waste. All of the burned food samples should be allowed to cool and then disposed of in the trash
according to Flinn Suggested Disposal Method #26a.
Connecting to the National Standards
This laboratory activity relates to the following National Science Education Standards (1996):
Unifying Concepts and Processes: Grades K–12
Evidence, models, and explanation
Constancy, change, and measurement
Content Standards: Grades 9–12
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
Content Standard B: Physical Science, structure and properties of matter, chemical reactions, interactions of energy and mat-
ter
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science, nature of scientific knowledge
Lab Hints
• The laboratory work for this experiment can reasonably be completed in one 50-minute lab period. This should be suf-
ficient time for students to perform two trials, either of the same food or different foods. Carrying out the experiment on
two samples of the same food is preferred from the point of view of averaging experimental error, but many students will
be curious and want to test different foods. Using the class data to calculate the average energy content of different foods
should eliminate some of the fluctuations due to random error.
• Wrap the cork food holder in aluminum foil to prevent the cork from burning. Students should practice sliding the food
holder and food assembly into the calorimeter. This should be done quickly after the food has been ignited. The food
holder assembly should be centered under the flask and remain upright. For best results, pin the food sample at one end
so the sample “points up” and the length is parallel to the pin. The food sample does not have to be completely engulfed