Summary

In this lab, students will analyze the nutrition label of a variety of foods to find the amount of specific elements in each serving. Students are asked to evaluate and compare the data in a series of questions, in order to convert the values to moles. This lab gives students the opportunity to see the connection between the chemistry mole concept and everyday foods.

Grade Level

High school

Objectives

By the end of this lab, students should be able to

• Calculate the amount of a particular element in a given food by analyzing the label.
• Convert between values of mass and volume.
• Convert values of mass to moles.
• Recognize that common elements are part of everyday foods.

Chemistry Topics

This lab supports students’ understanding of

• Mole Concept
• Dimensional Analysis
• Unit Conversion

Time

Teacher Preparation: 30 minutes (collect materials)

Lesson: 45 minutes

Materials

Per group

• cereal box
• can of vegetables
• can of fruit
• box of juice
• can of tomato juice
• other food items containing sodium and
• potassium can be used/substituted
• calculator
• periodic table

Safety

• Always wear safety goggles when handling chemicals in the lab.
• Students should wash their hands thoroughly before leaving the lab.
• When students complete the lab, instruct them how to clean up their materials and dispose of any chemicals.
• Food in the lab should be considered a chemical not for consumption.

Teacher Notes

• Other food products can be substituted for the ones mentioned in this lab.
• Encourage students to show their work for the calculation portion and use dimensional analysis to solve the problems.
• As an extension to this lab, I cut off and copy a label from a multivitamin and assign each student an element and have them determine how many tablets it takes to make a mole and how many atoms are in one tablet.