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Which component of urine (“fake”) may have the greatest effect on the…
Which component of urine (“fake”) may have the greatest effect on the absorbing power of a hydrogel polymer?
Potential methods
4 different versions of the 'fake urine' will be created, with a doubled concentration increase for sodium chloride, urea, and glucose for 3 versions with the addition of the 'fake urine' containing the original substance concentrations. 4 nappies with hydrogel will be left in each 'fake urine' sample for the same period of time. A higher mass increase in the nappy as well as a more significant decrease of the 'fake urine' sample volume will mean that more absorption had occured.
4 different versions of the 'fake urine' will be created, with 50% of the 'fake urine' being made of sodium chloride, urea, and glucose for 3 versions along with 50% water with the addition of a version being 100% water as a control group. 4 samples of hydrogel will be left in each 'fake urine' sample for the same period of time. A higher mass increase in the nappy as well as a more significant decrease of the 'fake urine' sample volume will mean that more absorption had occured.
Risk Assessment
Disposal
After using the chosen methods to classify each chemical substance, it is of the utmost importance that the substance is placed into an appropriate waste bin rather than down the drain which may cause damage or waste spillage/contamination into the environment.
Emergency Procedures
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In the case that equipment is broken, it is important to notify others so that the situation is taken care of and no one else is affected.
Wear PPE (safety goggles, apron) to ensure that potentially harmful substances do not leave the lab
Precautions
It is important to keep in mind the surrounding environment when conducting an experiment whether it be nearby objects or students as well as ensuring that the experiment is conducted in a calm and precise manner so that the correct measurements and steps are made.
Risks
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Spilling chemical substances on the floor ,may make you and other students slip and fall
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Chosen design type
An experimental design will allow for the testing of a hypothesis as well as the inference of causality under controlled conditions to maximize validity. An experimental design proves to be be the most accurate and efficient in analyzing the results regarding the impact of altering the concentrations of 'fake' urine components on the absorption power of hydrogel polymers. Subesequently, the component which has the the greatest effect on hydrogel polymer absroption power can be determined.
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Background Information
Polymers
Chemical Structure
Polymers are composed of strong carbon-carbon chains, covalently bonded to form the backbone. Polymer molecules are atttracted through weak dipole hydrogen bonds, making them easy to break and be reaaranged (Hakan Usta & Facchetti, 2022).
Hydrogels
Hydrogels are 3D hydrophillic polymeric networks cross-linked to produce an elastic structure (Ahmed, 2015).
Hydrogels can hold a large amount of water whilst maintaining structure due to the chemical or physical cross-linking of individual polymer chains, creating a void between the polymeric chain network in which solvents can penentrate into (Bahram et al. 2016), causing swelling.
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Polymers are natural or synthetic substances composed of very large molecules (macromolecules) which are multiples of simpler chemical units (monomers) (Britannica, 2024).
Absorbing Power
Absorbing power refers the chemical or physical activity of molecules, atoms and ions of the substance entering the bulk phase (gas, liquid, or solid) of the material in which it is taken up (Corrosionpedia, 2022)
Osmotic pressure refers to the amount of force applied to a solution to prevent solvents (e.g. water) from moving across a semi permeable membrane from solutions of lower solute concentrations to solutions of higher solute concentrations (Britannica, 2024)
A lower osmotic pressure results in suitable conditions that increase the absorption of the solution (in this case urine) due to the osmotic pressure of the surrounding solution being lesser than the osmotic pressure within the semi-permeable membrane (hydrogel polymer), forcing water to be absorbed into the hydogel polymer to establish an equilibrium.
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Limitations
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Funding
A small funding model for the experiment may result in a limited number of materials for which the experiment cannot be conducted multiple times to enforce the validity and accuracy of the collected results. Limited funding can also create time restraints which means that the experiment cannot be done in an analytical and thorough manner.
Environment
It is vital to choose an environment that allows for an experiment to be carried out. Significantly spiritual and cultural sites must not be used as the chemical substances may damage the surrounding structures and ecosystem whilst conducting an experiment may be disrespectful to certain ethic cultural groups.
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