OxiClean Science
Ever wondered if those cleaning products on the infomercials really work? Do
stains really disappear like magic? The makers of OxiClean show how stains
literally vanish when the "power of oxygen" is used to safely remove the most
stubborn of stains. So, what is the secret behind those little white crystals?
Materials
•OxiClean® powder
•Warm water
•Mixing bowl
•White wash cloth
•Stain makers - grape juice, colored drinks, condiments, soy sauce
•Iodine - This featured experiment uses iodine as the stain
Experiment
The OxiClean® science demonstration presented by Steve Spangler on television
(9News) was a version that Steve originally created for the product manufacturers in
1997 as part of a program called the Science of Clean. In Steve's version, the two
colorless liquids were mixed together and after a few seconds, the colorless liquid
turned jet black! Steve accomplished this by using the classic Landolt Clock
Reaction to produce an iodine solution. Iodine was selected as the stain since it
shows up well on television and produces a very visual stain on the washcloth.
It's important to remember that this science demonstration was developed
specifically to show the amazing oxidation power of OxiClean® (the active
ingredient in OxiClean is sodium percarbonate). Sodium percarbonate
(C2H6Na4O12) is a great detergent and bleaching agent based on the chemistry of
hydrogen peroxide bound with sodium carbonate molecules. Hydrogen peroxide is
a strong oxidizing substance which will "bleach" the stains away.
Sodium percarbonate is excellent for cleaning and removing organic stains such
as coffee, tea, wine, fruit juices, foods, sauces, grass and blood from fabrics and
common surfaces made out of porcelain, ceramics, wood and many more. As a
cleaning product, OxiClean® is favorable because it's environmentally safe,
biodegradable, and leaves no harmful bi-products.
OxiClean Science Fair Project Ideas
•Stain ten white washcloths with common materials found around the house such
as coffee, tea, soy sauce, grape juice, cranberry juice, soda, wine... you name it...
and test the bleaching power of OxiClean on each cloth.
•Isolate a particular stain such as coffee and test the clean power of several
different products that all claim to use the bleaching power of oxygen!
•Select a stain such as cranberry juice to stain five different carpet samples (found
at your local carpet store). Test the stain removing action of OxiClean (or any other
product) on those five carpet samples. Is there a type of carpet where the stain is
permanent?
•Select one stain such as grape juice and test to see if the temperature of the water
affects the cleaning action of a selected product.
•Set-up a science experiment to test the manufacturer's claims. Does a TIDE®
cleaning stick really do a good job of removing ink stains? Does OxiClean® remove
red wine stains from a carpet?
The key in any good science project is to select one variable to test and to make
certain that everything else stays the same. Changing the type of stain and the
temperature of the water may produce false results since two variables were
changed at the same time.
OxiClean® is a registered trademark of OrangeGlo International.
Experiment From Steve Spangler Science
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