In this project, we showcased the art of baking to better the understanding of chemistry for
Presentation
For our project, we made a presentation discussing what we would do if we got our project in the stem building.
Below are pictures of our two cakes. The cake on the right was made for display, and the cake on the left was made to be consumed
Here you can see our placard, briefly describing our project and the chemistry behind it
Overview
.For this project, we were showcasing the art of chemistry. This means we made an art project that showcased the chemistry we have learned. 2 weeks prior, we learned about the different types of reaction: Combustion, Synthesis, Decomposition, Single Replacement and Double Replacement. We then were allowed to choose our groups, and the Guilloteam was born. Our assignment was to make an art project to put in the STEM 2021 building. that focuses on chemistry and some sort of chemical reaction. We decided we wanted to do something different for our presentation, and so we studied the art of baking. We studied the chemistry behind making the cake and combining the ingredients. The main chemistry showcased here was the creation of glucose when the water and flour mix. We also studied the chemistry of baking, focusing on how heat reacts with the ingredients. Heating up the baking powder releases carbon, allowing the cake to rise. There is also the Malliard Reaction, which creates the odor and "browning" we see on the cake. We also studied the decoration, and how our cake looks and why it looks good. The color theory helps us understand why the red and the white of the cake work together. We finally studied the taste of the cake and how we taste foods ourselves. We learned how sacchurides are processed by our tounges. We delved into the chemistry of these 4 elements, all the while making a placard and 2 cakes for the presentation.
Reflection
On thing I did very well on this project was time management. I not only did my work way faster than I had in projects prior, but I did this work very well and challengedmy critical thinking. I am very happy with what a good job I did on this project. I hope I can manage to keep this work quality and productivity up in future projects. A second peak I had in this project was work ethic. We made a very good project. It is one of the projects I am most proud of making in a while. I not only worked outside of class as a conscientuous learner to make it happen, but I didn't waste my time in class and I feel like that really showed in this project. In the future I hope I can make equally high quality work on this project
One pit I had in this project was backing my research. I did a lot of research, but I did not try as hard as I could have to make sure that I was gettig my research from a reliabel source, and did not double check my accuracy. In the future, I will try not to take my research at face value in future projects and be a little more culturally aware of the internet. A second peak I had was challenging myself. While we did choose a complex topic, I believe that as a critical thinker I was the least challenged of the four. In the future, I hope I can take a job that challenges me to think harder
One pit I had in this project was backing my research. I did a lot of research, but I did not try as hard as I could have to make sure that I was gettig my research from a reliabel source, and did not double check my accuracy. In the future, I will try not to take my research at face value in future projects and be a little more culturally aware of the internet. A second peak I had was challenging myself. While we did choose a complex topic, I believe that as a critical thinker I was the least challenged of the four. In the future, I hope I can take a job that challenges me to think harder
Concepts
Our project has dealt with a lot of complex concepts, most of which are defined in our power point presentation. Due to how many there are, I have taken a lot of the bigger, overarching concepts discussed during this unit and our presentation and defined them below, rather than go through all of the specific terms.
Chemical Reaction-A reaction between one or more elements that results in the creation of one or more different elements. There are 5 main chemical reactions(listed below.) In a chemical reaction, the net charge of any created element must be 0. It is also crucial that there are no more atoms in the product than there was in the reactants. This is known as balancing equations.
Precipitate-An insoluble substance created by certain chemical reactions. We can tell if a precipitate is formed by following the solubility guidlines. This chart helps us understand what will and what won't create a precipitate.
Synthesis Reaction- A chemical reaction that results in the creation of a new element. The formula for these reactions is A+B -->AB. An example of this reaction in our project is the creation of gluten when flour and water mix
Decomposition Reaction-A chemical reaction in which a complex chemical decomposes into two simpler chemicals. The formula for these reactions is AB->A+B.
Single Replacement Reaction-A chemical reaction in which one element is replaced in the reaction. A cation will replace a cation, and an anion will replace an anion. The formula for these reactions is A+BC->AC+B.
Double Replacement Reaction-A chemical reaction in which two elements replace one another in a reaction. A cation will replace another cation, and an anion will replace an anion. The formula for these reactions is AB+CD->AD+CB
Combustion Reaction-A chemical reaction in which a hydrocarbon is exposed to heat and results in water and carbon dioxide. The formula for this reaction is CxHy+O2->H20+CO2. An example of combustion in our cake was baking soda(also known as sodium bicarbonate) being heated to release carbon dioxide into our cake.
Elastic Network-A flexible median that is created by a chemical bond between water and gluten. This elastic network rises once the baking soda combustion, allowing the cake to rise into the shape we see traditionally see a cake in.
Maillard Reaction- A reaction that occurs within baking to help give color and the iconic odor to the food being baked, such as our cake. This reaction occurs when a carbonyl sugar and an amino acid are bound and exposed to heat, releasing glycosalamine and water. The glycosalamine is then rearranged in Amadori rearrangement to form ketosamines. These ketosamines are then further broken down to release an odor and give off color.
Visible Light- A specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that the eyes translate into color. This range is from 380 to 740 nano-meters. Lower wavelengths are seen as warmer colors, while higher wave lengths are seen as cooler colors. Thanks to visible light, we are able to see our cake.
Color Theory-A theory that predicts how certain colors will look together based on their hue, shade, tone and hint . The most popular organization of this is the color wheel. This shows all primary, secondary and tertiary colors on a wheel, layed out in an easy to read format. for example, colors across from each other on the wheel are complementary. We used color theory to make our cake look as good as it tasted
Saccharides-More commonly referred to as sugar, a saccharide is a sweet-tasting, crystalline carbohydrate. These saccharides bind to the taste buds in our mouth that only they can bind to due to their unique shape. This then results in a series of chemical reactions releasing a neurotransmitter and letting us know that we have just eaten something sweet. Our cake used saccharides to help improve the overall taste.
Chemical Reaction-A reaction between one or more elements that results in the creation of one or more different elements. There are 5 main chemical reactions(listed below.) In a chemical reaction, the net charge of any created element must be 0. It is also crucial that there are no more atoms in the product than there was in the reactants. This is known as balancing equations.
Precipitate-An insoluble substance created by certain chemical reactions. We can tell if a precipitate is formed by following the solubility guidlines. This chart helps us understand what will and what won't create a precipitate.
Synthesis Reaction- A chemical reaction that results in the creation of a new element. The formula for these reactions is A+B -->AB. An example of this reaction in our project is the creation of gluten when flour and water mix
Decomposition Reaction-A chemical reaction in which a complex chemical decomposes into two simpler chemicals. The formula for these reactions is AB->A+B.
Single Replacement Reaction-A chemical reaction in which one element is replaced in the reaction. A cation will replace a cation, and an anion will replace an anion. The formula for these reactions is A+BC->AC+B.
Double Replacement Reaction-A chemical reaction in which two elements replace one another in a reaction. A cation will replace another cation, and an anion will replace an anion. The formula for these reactions is AB+CD->AD+CB
Combustion Reaction-A chemical reaction in which a hydrocarbon is exposed to heat and results in water and carbon dioxide. The formula for this reaction is CxHy+O2->H20+CO2. An example of combustion in our cake was baking soda(also known as sodium bicarbonate) being heated to release carbon dioxide into our cake.
Elastic Network-A flexible median that is created by a chemical bond between water and gluten. This elastic network rises once the baking soda combustion, allowing the cake to rise into the shape we see traditionally see a cake in.
Maillard Reaction- A reaction that occurs within baking to help give color and the iconic odor to the food being baked, such as our cake. This reaction occurs when a carbonyl sugar and an amino acid are bound and exposed to heat, releasing glycosalamine and water. The glycosalamine is then rearranged in Amadori rearrangement to form ketosamines. These ketosamines are then further broken down to release an odor and give off color.
Visible Light- A specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that the eyes translate into color. This range is from 380 to 740 nano-meters. Lower wavelengths are seen as warmer colors, while higher wave lengths are seen as cooler colors. Thanks to visible light, we are able to see our cake.
Color Theory-A theory that predicts how certain colors will look together based on their hue, shade, tone and hint . The most popular organization of this is the color wheel. This shows all primary, secondary and tertiary colors on a wheel, layed out in an easy to read format. for example, colors across from each other on the wheel are complementary. We used color theory to make our cake look as good as it tasted
Saccharides-More commonly referred to as sugar, a saccharide is a sweet-tasting, crystalline carbohydrate. These saccharides bind to the taste buds in our mouth that only they can bind to due to their unique shape. This then results in a series of chemical reactions releasing a neurotransmitter and letting us know that we have just eaten something sweet. Our cake used saccharides to help improve the overall taste.
Want to see the rest of the Guilloteam?