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What would you like? Coffee? Water? Soda? It’s all here as you learn about the science of beverages. Explore topics like the solubility of gases, the complexities of drinking water, what gives coffee its enticing aroma.
Sections
Activities
- The Secret Science of Soda from ACS Adventures in Chemistry
How can you make soda shoot out of a can? Why are some sodas fizzy while others are flat? Find out the answers to these questions and more!
- Distillation in Survival Mode from AACT
Investigate methods for purifying water while considering a survival based situation that requires clean drinking water. Explore processes such as boiling and distillation, as well as review the phase changes within the water cycle.
- Would You Drink It? From AACT
Analyze data related to the water quality at multiple locations throughout a city. Then determine which location should be prioritized for cleaning of contaminates.
Demos
- Measuring, Mentos, Soda, Gas Laws, and Coffee from ChemEdX
Diet Coke and coffee demonstrations are used as demonstration hooks to help engage students with graphing and modeling.
- Crush the Can from AACT
Analyze how the change in temperature of a gas can affect the pressure and volume of the gas while watching an engaging demonstration involving a heat source, water vapor and an empty soda can.
Labs
- Distillation of Common Soft Drinks from AACT
Explore the distillation procedure using a common soft drink and a simple equipment setup.
- Fizzy Drink
from AACT
Learn the properties of acid and bases while applying the principles of stoichiometry to calculate the amount of base needed to neutralize an acid completely and produce a bubbly drink.
- The Gravimetric Analysis of Lead in Contaminated Water from AACT
Perform a gravimetric analysis of a simulated water sample contaminated with “lead”. Using knowledge of solubility and chemical reactions precipitate the “lead” from the water sample. Then from the data collected, calculate the concentration of “lead” in the samples and compare that value to those found in water samples from the Flint, Michigan water crisis.
- Can Gases Dissolve in Water? from MiddleSchoolChemistry.com
Observe the dissolved carbon dioxide in a bottle of club soda and then design an experiment to compare the amount of carbon dioxide that stays in cold club soda compared to warmer club soda.
- Beverage Density Lab from Flinn Scientific
Check out how much sugar is in your beverage of choice.
- Bubbly Soda Science
from Science Buddies
Serve up a personalized soda with just the right amount of fizz, flavor, and sweetness. All it takes is a little experimentation.
- Make Boba for Bubble Tea from Scientific American
Concoct these squishy spheres in your kitchen, then add to cold tea.
Articles
- Undeserved Reputation? Aspartame, the Artificial Sweetener from Compound Interest
Should we worry about drinking diet sodas with aspartame, or is it just getting a bad rap? Check out this infographic to learn more.
- Is Cold Brew Really Different from Iced Coffee?
From ChemMatters
Magazine
With all the coffee options available, and more and more teens drinking the caffeinated beverage to help them perk up, we delve into what makes cold brew coffee different from its iced counterpart.
- Drinking the Sea from ChemMatters Magazine
We’ve already started tapping the world’s oceans to satisfy our water needs. Will it be enough?
- The Aroma of Coffee
from Compound Interest
That heady smell of freshly brewed coffee has chemistry to thank. Take a look at the aroma compounds that play a role.
- Chemistry in Every Cup from Chemistry World
The coffee conflict—good for your health or something to avoid? Learn about the chemistry of what’s in the cup.
- Fluoride & Water Fluoridation - An Undeserved Reputation? from Compound Interest
Is fluoride toothpaste enough, or do we need fluoride from another source? Get an overview of this controversial topic.
- Are Energy Drinks Good for You? from ChemMatters Magazine
Energy drinks are the latest beverage fad. Learn about the main chemicals present in them and what scientists know about their health effects.
- The Flint Water Crisis: What’s Really Going On?
from ChemMatters Magazine
How did the Flint water crisis happen, and what was done to make the city’s water safer to drink again?
- Brewing a Great Cup of Coffee Depends on Chemistry and Physics from Scientific American
Coffee is unique among artisanal beverages in that the brewer plays a significant role in its quality at the point of consumption.
- Polyphenols and Antioxidants - The Chemistry of Tea from Compound Interest
Take time for a cup of tea and learn about the benefits of this beverage. - A Toxic Dose of Water: How Much is Too Much? From ChemMatters Magazine
Your cells are delicate and need to balance electrolytes, so don’t stress them out by drinking too much water! - Sports Drinks, Energy Drinks, Low-Calorie Drinks… Are They Safe? From ChemMatters
Magazine
How do you decide whether to choose water or energy drinks when exercising?
Videos
- What do Electrolytes Actually Do? from ACS Reactions
Sports drink commercials love talking about electrolytes, but what are they, why do we need them, and what happens if we don’t have enough?
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What Makes Coffee So Good? from ACS Reactions
This week Reactions uncovers the chemistry in your morning cup of coffee. There's an incredible amount of science that goes into your beans, dark or light roasts and the entire brewing process.
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The World’s Smallest Water Treatment Plant Comes in a Packet from ACS Ingenious
About 800,000,000 people worldwide – that’s almost one in ten, more than the population of the U.S. – don’t have reliable access to clean water. Using a technology first developed to reuse dirty laundry water, scientists have developed a water treatment plant the size of a teabag. Inside, a potent chemical triple-threat removes microbes, heavy metals, silt and dirt to produce clean, safe water one bucket at a time.
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White, Green, Black, and Oolong Tea: What's the Difference? from ACS Reactions
Did you know that many different types of tea come from the same plant? It’s pretty amazing, considering the various flavors and colors, but what really sets each tea apart are the chemical changes that happen in the leaves during production.
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Why do Things Taste Sweet? from ACS Reactions
Ever wonder why your favorite sweets taste, well, sweet? Whether they’re made with sugar or artificial sweeteners, it all comes down to chemistry.
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How Much Water Can Kill You? from ACS Reactions
You may have heard of deadly poisons like arsenic, cyanide and even the devilishly hard to detect polonium 210. But did you know even drinking water could kill you?
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Making Drinking Water from Sewage from ACS Reactions
Sure, drinking toilet water sounds gross, but with the right cleaning methods we can turn the dirtiest water you can think of back into clean, safe, refreshing drinking water.
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Is Fluoride in Drinking Water Safe? from ACS Reactions
The chemistry of fluoride has helped reduce cavities in children for decades. Still, more than 70 years after Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city to fluoridate its drinking water, the practice remains controversial. Some worry that fluoridated drinking water can lead to health issues, but what is the scientific consensus?
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The Science of Caffeine: The World’s Most Popular Drug from ACS Reactions
It's not just in coffee anymore. From drinks to jerky to gum, caffeine is everywhere. But why does that little molecule keep you awake? And just how much caffeine is too much?