Antacid Tablets

What are antacid tablets?

Antacid tablets are over-the-counter (OTC) prescription medications used to treat and neutralize stomach acid. They are used to treat/relieve indigestion and heartburn. They are used when a person has an acid reflux/heartburn, indigestion, a stomach ulcer or gastritis.

Types of Antacid Tablets

Liquid - Liquid antacids are believed to work much faster than regular antacid tablets and/or capsules. Liquid antacids can be consumed with external medications to reduce extra acid buildup in the stomach. However, some antacid liquids can vary in use depending on the person ingesting the liquid.

Chewable gummy or tablet - Chewable antacids are made of calcium carbonate and play an important role in reducing stomach acid. Consumption of these calcium carbonate tablets can include an increase in calcium levels in the body. This is good as calcium is a much-needed mineral to build strong bones and maintaining heart health.

Chemical Composition Antacid Tablets

Aluminium hydroxide

Magnesium hydroxide

Sodium Bicarbonate

Calcium carbonate

Its effect on reducing acid in the stomach is low as it only functions for a short amount of time. As a result, its high sodium content is another factor why people avoid this antacid. The bicarbonate reacts with the hydrochloric acid in the stomach and often reacts as a belch to release carbon dioxide gas. Some side effects of using sodium bicarbonate are fluid retention and alkalosis, which can be harmful if there is an imbalance in the body's pH.

Compared to magnesium hydroxide, aluminium hydroxide is a weak, slow-acting antacid. Its acid-neutralizing effect is varied among products. It does protect the stomach lining from the harmful effects of alcohol, but the main reason for its use is to remove the side effect of diarrhea in magnesium hydroxide.

Magnesium hydroxide is an effective laxative. Because of its side effects, this compound isn't recommended by most people but it's still an effective antacid. It has many uses in the body such as the heart, however, a person who has kidney problems should avoid using magnesium hydroxide as it will raise blood levels.

Calcium carbonate is the most useful antacid amongst the others. It completely neutralize the stomach acid, however it is not recommended for regular use. When consuming the antacid, about a third of the calcium is absorbed by the body and can include risks such as calcium-contain kidneys. Another disadvantage when using calcium carbonate is that there is a likelihood of the gastric acid secretion to rebound, meaning that more acid is created, therefore more pain. This could result in excess dosage which is strongly unrecommended but can be avoided if the dose doesn't exceed three grams per day.

Factors that affect the use of antacid tablets

Types of antacid tablet

Options for investigation - Could experiment with how different antacids reacts when in contact with hydrochloric acid, measuring the final pH to determine which antacid lowers the most amount of pH.

Dependent variable - The difference in pH of the stomach acid.

Controlled variable - Amount of substance mixed with the antacid, amount of time mixture is exposed react with gastric acid (hydrochloric acid).

Question to investigate - What antacid will work best when it reacts with "stomach acid", otherwise known as gastric acid or hydrochloric acid.

Research from findings/trials - If the pH of the hydrochloric acid becomes neutral, that's when we can realise that the antacid has worked.

What is stomach acid?

Stomach acid is what helps the body digest substances and extract nutrients for the body to absorb. The stomach acid is very acidic, having a pH of around 1-2, therefore it's a strong acid. It ha low pH due to the hydrochloric acid in the composition as well as potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium chloride (NaCl).

Limitations - We are limited to a number of ways we can test the effectiveness of the antacid. This means that we cannot use a human for the experiment as it will become an ethical issue. We can use other ways but using a living being would be unethical.

Independent variable - The type of antacid

How can this be measured? - We can use litmus paper and/or the universal indicator to determine the differences in pH before and after the experiment.

Risk Assessment - Hydrochloric acid is a corrosive substance and will need to be prevented through gloves, apron and possibly a mask. We will be dealing with some other compounds and it is best to be prepared for the worst.

Magnesium Trisilicate

Like the other antacids, it has a similar job to neutralize the acid in the stomach. It is used to treat the excessive amount of stomach acid and the occasional heartburn. It can, however, have a number of side effects of intestinal problems such as constipation and diarrhea when taking certain amounts.

Magnesium Carbonate

It works in the same way as other antacids to neutralise stomach acid. It is used to alleviate excess stomach acid as well as periodic heartburn. When used in certain levels, it can cause a variety of digestive disorders such as constipation and nausea and vomiting.

What is neutralization?

In chemistry, neutralization is when an acid and base react together to form a salt and base and this results in a basically neutral pH. There are four different neutralization reactions that can happen, which are:

Reactions between a strong acid and a strong base

Reactions between a strong acid and a weak base

Reactions between a weak acid and a strong base

Reactions between a weak acid and a weak base

HCl + NaOH --> H20 + NaCl

HCl + NH4OH --> H20 + NH4Cl

CH3COOH + NH4OH --> H20 + C2H7NO2

H2SO4 + 2NH4OH --> (NH4)2SO4 + H2O

How long the effect lasts

Options for investigation - We could measure the longevity of the effect of an antacid and its neutralization effect. The time taken will say how effective the antacid is.

How can this be measured? - We can track the time using a stopwatch and record the time. it takes for its effects to wear off.

Question to investigate - How long does the effects of an antacid last?

Research from findings/trials - The time for each antacid will be recorded on how long the effect of neutralization lasts.

Limitations - Once again, similar to the experiment of how fast antacids starts working, the time factor is unknown and may exit the time barriers of the experiment.

Risk assessment - We will be dealing with a number of acids so there will be a need to wear gloves, an apron and safety glasses (if needed unless the person wears glasses).

Independent Variable - The type of antacid

How fast the antacid works

Options for investigation - We can test how fast the effect of an antacid comes into play as soon as it touches the hydrochloric acid. We can use a stopwatch to track how fast the antacid neutralizes the acid.

Question to investigate - How fast does the effect of antacid take to neutralize the gastric acid?

Research from findings/trials - The fastest time will ensure how fast the antacid neutralizes the hydrochloric acid.

Limitations - We don't know how long each antacid will take to neutralize the acid, so the experiment may take longer than the given time.

Risk Assessment - We will deal with some dangerous chemicals that will be harmful so it's advised to wear safety gear before conducting the experiment.

Controlled variable - Type of stopwatch (handheld), pH indicator (universal indicator), environment in which the experiment will be conducted in (lab).

Dependent variable - The time taken for the antacid to neutralize the hydrochloric acid.

Independent variable - Type of antacid

How can this be measured? - The time taken (seconds) will show the time for each antacid.

Dependent Variable - The time that the neutralizing effect lasts

Controlled Variable - Type of stopwatch (handheld), amount of hydrochloric acid, amount of antacid used.