DETERGENT VS STAIN
How does brand of detergent affect color
darkness of grape juice stain on shirt?
Julia Hong
5-9-14
Science/P.6
Discovery Project: Visual
Science Field: Material Chemistry
Science Field

Material ChemistryScience that uses different combinations
of materials to come up with
transformed results.
After
getting the results, the knowledge is
used to work with new materials.
I
chose Material Chemistry because I want
to know which detergent will get out the
stains of my favorite clothes
Opportunities

High school class- Chemistry Laboratory
Methods SCI125
 Studies
the relationship between factors and
substances

Future job- Material Chemist
 Use
materials to come up with different
outcomes
Opportunities Connections

Class Both
the field and class study the relationship between
different substances

Job Both
the experiment and job changes variables (in this
case the brand of detergent) to come up with new
outcomes
Timeline

1907- Eduard Buchner, a German chemist,
discovered enzymes in the nineteenth century when
he saw sugar repeatedly being converted to
alcohol.
 This relates to my experiment because detergents
contain enzymes.
Timeline (cont.)
1933- “Proctor and Gamble” invented
synthetic surfactants (molecule that removes
dirt from clothing and puts it in water,
preventing it to come back) and used it in
washing machines in 1933 (Who Invented
Laundry Detergent).
 This impacts society today, since synthetic
surfactants are what is used to remove the
stains on clothing.

Expert Bio- Ji Kim


Current junior at University of Washington.
Taken chemistry classes


Organic chemistry, materials chemistry, and material
engineering
As a hobby and a job, works as a lab assistant

With a professor and a group of undergraduates, they
work together to find/observe how HIV affects brain cells
 Lab is very clean and tidy because cells are sensitive
 Room has to be at a certain temperature since cells
can die
 Lab has many tables and chairs with no other
furniture
Expert Bio (cont.)- Ji Kim

Job Opportunity- Material Scientist or a material
science based engineering job
Experimental Design Diagram
Title/Purpose: How does brand of detergent affect color darkness of grape juice stain
on shirt?
Hypothesis: If the enzymes in laundry detergent is increased, then amount on grape
juice stain will decrease, because enzymes make the process of cleaning clothes
faster and makes fighting stains easier, thus “All” will give the best results.
Independent Variable: brand of detergent Dependent Variable: amount of grape juice
Levels of the MV
Number of Trials:
three trials per each
detergent brand used
shirt
Tide
3
Arm & Hammer
3
All
Water
3
3
Controlled Variables: -type of stain –form of detergent –amount of detergent –
type of washing machine –time washed –time dried -amount of time stain is on shirt
before wash –amount of stain on shirt –type of shirt
Background Research

Enzymes are what make the chemical reaction
happen faster
 They
break down substances into smaller forms that
can be easily removed by the other ingredients in
the detergent

Surfactant molecules are what attach to
grease on one end and water on the other
 They
form into spheres until rinsed away
 They draw grime from the clothes and make sure
it doesn’t come back to the fabric
Procedure
Experimental Set-Up
detergents
scissors
grape juice
Tide detergent
All detergent
Arm &
Hammer
detergent
bowl
stain color darkness scale
shirt
beaker
SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
Always close the lid of the washing
machine when the machine is on
Never put your hands near your eyes, since
detergent may go in your eyes
Data Table
How does brand of detergent affect color darkness of grape juice stain on shirt?
(Grape juice) Stain Color
Darkness (1-10)
Brand of Detergent
All 1
6.0
All 2
3.0
All 3
4.0
A&H 1
5.0
A&H 2
5.0
A&H 3
5.0
Tide 1
7.0
Tide 2
6.0
Tide 3
6.0
Water 1
8.0
Water 2
8.0
Water 3
8.0
Average Stain Color
Darkness (1-10)
4.3
5.0
6.3
8.0
Key Observations







While cutting shirts into square 5” by 5” pieces
Using fabric scissors to cut the shirt into squares, was much
easier than using regular scissors, and they make the squares
more accurate
After washing the shirts, there was a strong floral aroma
After the shirts were put in the washing machine, they were
stretched
The shirts were still wet after being dried in the drying machine
The shirts’ stain color darkness became even lighter after being
dried than when coming out of the washing machine
On some shirts, after being washed and dried, there were small
spots that were a different color than the majority of the shirt
Graph
9
How does brand of detergent affect color darkness of grape juice stain on shirt?
Grape Juice Color Stain Darkness (1-10)
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
All
A&H
Tide
Brand of Detergent
Water
Conclusion (CER)




Again, the purpose is: How does brand of detergent
affect color darkness of grape juice stain on shirt?
The more enzymes the detergent has, the less of the
(grape juice) stain there will be.
The color stain darkness of “All” had an average
number of 4.3, “Arm & Hammer” had 5, “Tide” had 6.3,
and water had 8. The “All” detergent had the lowest
stain color darkness data, being 3, and the lowest stain
color darkness average, being 4.3.
Research shows that enzymes make the process of
cleaning clothes faster and makes fighting stains easier.
Application

Experimental design improvement- Use the whole
shirt instead of a 5” by 5” square piece of the shirt.
When cutting the pieces of the shirt, the
measurement/size might be a little off. This results
to more or less absorbing of the grape juice (stain),
and how much the clothing is stretched. If the
material was the same size, the amount of grape
juice is absorbed would be the same, thus showing
the exact effect each detergent has.
Application (cont.)

Future Experimental Design- How does technique of
cleaning clothes, affect stain on shirt? Now that
which the best detergent/cleaning supply is for
when washing clothes is known, I want to find out
which technique to washing clothes works best. By
doing this experiment, which technique will give my
clothes the greatest results will be known. The levels
of the independent variable would be by the
washing machine, and by hand washing.
Application (cont. 2)

Real World Connection- Doing the laundry. When
washing clothes in the washing machine, I wonder
what detergent should be used. This experiment is
meant to find the detergent that gives the best
results when washing clothes, and when doing the
laundry, the “best” detergent would be used.
Personal Reflection/Work Values

View on material chemistry field
Advantage: great way to discover new combinations for
many things such as cooking recipes; clearly shows success
 Disadvantage: may take a very long time to see wanted
results/combinations; the results might not be what you
worked towards
Working with others (+) can work in teams for labs
Security (+)
Location (-) do not want to work in a lab (not ideal)

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