Concept:
This activity is designed
to illustrate how gelatin can be used as a medium for drug delivery.
Materials Needed:
Knox® Gelatin, 21-grams | Razor blade or other cutting impelement |
Food color (Blue works best) | Distilled Water |
Baking pan or similar container | Hot plate |
Safety Considerations:
There are no safety hazards with materials used in this experiment. The pills may become moldy after storage for several days or more. If that occurs, they should be disposed of in the trash.Disposal:
All materials used in this experiment can be safely disposed of in the trash.
Procedure:
Explanation:
Gelatin is a thermoreversible or cold-setting polymer. If the gelatin is not refrigerated or reheated, it will slowly convert back to a liquid. Because of this, a gelatin such as Jell-O® should remain refrigerated or it will become tastless Kool-Aide®. Another popular dessert is Jell-O® instant pudding. It contains a modified food starch instead of gelatin. The instant pudding uses a heat-setting superabsorbing thickening polymer (the starch) to create its gelatinous texture.
The release of the blue embedded
dye in the gelatin is for this same reason. In addition, the heat from
the hot water promotes diffusion of the dye from the higher concentration
of dye in the gelatin to the lower concentration of dye in the hot water.
The dye eventually diffuses completely out of the gelatin over time which
simulates the slow release of a drug from a pill.
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Copyright
©1995-2000 | Department
of Polymer Science | University
of Southern Mississippi
Activities:"Doing" science
by asking questions.