Ionization of OTC-Medications in acids

1. By: Kolton Elmer Ionization of OTC-Medications in acids

2. Authors and Afilliation • Kolton-Elmer • Mrs. Meyer • Copper Hills High School, West Jordan, UT

3. Abstract • For this experiment I wanted to test if Dietary supplements or pain relievers would dissolve quicker in HCl. I also tested if the capsule shape would effect it's dissolving time. I found that of the 4 pain relievers that the Peptobismol dissolved the quickest, and the Naproxen dissolved the slowest. Of all the supplements I found that the Folic acid was the quickest and the Vitamin B12 was the slowest.

4. Materials & Methods • 12 molar HCl • 8 test tubes • 1 test tube holder • glass stirring rod • Fume hood • Pencil/Pen • paper • pH paper • Naproxen • Peptobismol • Ibuprofen • Aspirin • Fiber • Vitamin B12 • Folic acid • Cranberry pill • First you fill each test tube with the hydrochloric acid. Next you drop aproximately 1000 mg. of each medicine in their own test tube. After that you wait and record your observations daily. Test the pH levels to make sure they are all the same around the middle of your experiment. Note that this experiment is all done under a fume hood due to the toxic fumes.

5. Hypotheses • Pain relievers would dissolve quicker than supplements. • Peptobismol will be the quickest and aspirin will take the longest • Of all the supplements… • Folic acid would be the quickest and fiber would take the longest

6. Results • The first medication to dissolve was peptobismol which dissolved in the space of only a few hours into Day 1. On day 2 the Cranberry and Fiber pills were dissolved. Day 3 passed and the Vitamin B12 was completely dissolved. Day 4 passed and the Folic acid was completely dissolved. Around one month later on May 7th • the Ibuprofen was dissolved in the acid. The aspirin and the naproxen pills are still undissolved. As time went on the already dissolved medication started to turn black or into darker shades of color. Throughout this test the pills changed into different colors and did not stay the same as their original coating color.

7. Discussion • Several hypotheses were created. The first hypothesis was the pain relivers would dissolve the quickest because they didn't have much of a coating on them. The second hypothesis was that of the pain relievers peptobismol would dissolve the quickest and aspirin would take the longest. The third hypothesis was that of the supplements the folic acid will dissolve the quickest and fiber would take the longest. The first hypothesis was proven wrong. Pain relievers actually take a longer time to dissolve in acid than supplements. Hypothesis number two was proven correct. The peptobismol dissolved after the first day, but the time frame in which the acids were dissolving the aspirin and naproxen didn't dissolve all the way. Hypothesis number three was proven incorrect, because the experiment showed that the fiber pill and the Cranberry pill dissolved the quickest and the Vitamin B12 took the longest

8. References • http://nihseniorhealth.gov/takingmedicines/drugsinthebody/01.html • http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/zoo00/zoo00114.htm • http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/clinical_pharmacology/pharmacokinetics/drug_absorption.html