Pill Dissolving Demo
In a class demonstration, the teacher places different pill types ("chalk" pill, gel pill, and gel tablet) into separate glass beakers of vinegar, representing human stomach acid. After 20-30 minutes, the pills dissolve. Students observe which dissolve the fastest, and discuss the remnants of the various pills. What they learn contributes to their ongoing objective to answer the challenge question presented in lesson 1 of this unit.
In the acidic human stomach, do different pill types dissolve faster than others?Copyright (left) 2004 Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399 USA. All rights reserved. (right) National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/Factsheet_Drugs.htm
Biomedical engineers use experiments to discover how various chemical substances react in the human body, for example, the absorption of medication and how the body breaks down the outer coatings of pills and capsules. To test new medicines, scientists use solutions with chemical compositions similar to the environments found in the human body to model various body reactions. Engineers also create all sorts of devices and tools used in experiments, and creative medicine delivery materials and equipment, including syringes and patches, and even the factories for making different types of pills and bottling liquids.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe what happens to a pill in the human stomach.
- Explain which pill form is absorbed the fastest.