Above is the diagram that was not uploaded, but mentioned in the last post - "Physics part"

Physics Part

This is the Physics part of the Experiment

This portion of the experiment will deal with the physics involved in energy drinks. We will observe the effect of energy drinks on the reaction time of a subject who has drank a energy drink.

Reaction time can be simply defined as how long it takes from the time our body receives information from our senses to the time that the body makes a response to this information.

Testing the reaction time will be quite simple. A circuit with two buttons, a light bulb, a timer scaler and frequency meter, a power unit and a bunch of wires will be assembled. The timer scaler and frequency meter is to basically measure the time difference between the activation of the two buttons. The diagram is below:

The steps will be as follows:

1) One person pushes button 1 and covers his/her hand so the other person can’t see it, and the light bulb will go on.

2) Immediately when the other person sees this light, he/she would press button 2.

3) Record the data shown on the timer scaler and frequency meter.

4) Reset the timer scaler & frequency meter.

The time that it takes the light bulb to turn on and been seen by the subject and this same subject press a button is called the reaction time of that particular person.

The layout of the experiment will be the following:

1. 1) Before the energy drink is taken, the subject will first perform the test 3 times in order to measure the reaction time of an ‘unaltered’ subject.

2. 2) Then, after the selected energy drink is ingested, the same test is perform 3 times.

3. 3) The difference in results can be observed as the change in reaction time from a state not induced by the energy drink to a state under the effects of the energy drink.

The dangers of energy drinks

Energy drinks are generally safe, but you should drink them in moderation. As caffeine is a stimulant, consuming a lot of it can lead to heart palpitations, anxiety and insomnia. It also can make you feel nervous and irritable. Over time, caffeine can become addictive. It is also a diuretic; it causes the kidneys to remove extra fluid into the urine. That leaves less fluid in the body. The combination of the diuretic effect and sweating can severely dehydrate you.

Biology Section

This section will show you the biology involved in our investigation. Similar to the chemistry section, a copy of this will also be available during the Science group IV day.

WELCOME TO THE BIOLOGY SECTION OF OUR PROJECT!

Sugar and caffeine are the two major ingredients found in energy drinks. These are added to give an instant energy boost. But what are exactly these energy drinks made of? How can you get charged up right away after drinking these energy drinks?

• Caffeine

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and increases your heart rate. It also increases urine production in the body. Caffeine stimulates the human brain and is an addictive ingredient in energy drinks.

• Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid which increases the effect of caffeine. It is also an effective cardiac stimulator. This amino acid is naturally secreted by the human body which regulates the heart rate, muscle contractions and energy levels of the body.

• Guarana

The seeds of t Guarana have three times more caffeine than that contained in the coffee beans. This energy drink ingredient increases the metabolic rate of the human body and also helps in reducing weight.

• Ginseng

Ginseng is a herb which increases the energy levels in the human body. It has anti-fatigue components that help to reduce stress levels. Ginseng is said to stimulate the nervous system to increase the overall stamina of the body and increase the secretion of hormones in the body.

• Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba comes from a rare tree and is an anti-depressant. This energy drink ingredient increases concentration and blood circulation in the body.

• Vitamins

Inositol is a classified member of the Vitamin B complex and is said to increase the immunity of the body.

• Sugars

Sugars are the source of glucose for the human body and are the major ingredient in energy drinks. Glucose is used up by the body to perform digestion, breathing and in exercises, like, cycling, walking and swimming.

So, what exactly happens to our body after we drink these?

The caffeine works by blocking the effects of adenosine which is a chemical in the brain that is involved with sleeping. The neurons in the brain begin to fire when adenosine is blocked. The brain is then tricked into thinking that the body is in an emergency and initiates the body's "fight or flight" response. When this happens, adrenaline is pumped into the body. The heart starts beating faster and eyes are dilated. It also causes the liver to release excess amounts of sugar into the blood for energy. Dopamine, a pleasure chemical in the brain also increases. The increase of dopamine and sugar give you the sensation of having more energy.

The Caffeine Buzz

Caffeine molecules attach to adenosine receptors on the nerve endings. Since caffeine blocks the receptors, the nerves can't get adenosine, which causes neurons in the brain to fire.

The pituitary gland senses the increased neuron activity in the brain and releases adrenaline into the body. The adrenal glands pump adrenaline throughout the body, making the heart beat faster and the liver release extra sugar for energy.

Questionnaire, Tables and Forms

Hello there!

Please make sure that during the Science Group IV day, you complete our forms and questionnaires! They are easy (and fun!) to do! Also check the list of contents (on the right hand side of the screen) to jump to the post you want to see. See you in November!

The Group IV Energy Drinks team

The Chemistry of Energy Drinks

Here is the Chemistry part of the investigation. There will be a copy handed out to everyone who comes to our stall during the Science Group IV day.

WELCOME TO THE CHEMISTRY SECTION OF OUR PROJECT! Hope you enjoy reading about the Chemistry of these drinks and the investigation behind the science! Besides the biological factors concerning energy drinks with their effects on the human body, it is essential to highlight the chemistry of these drinks and how these substances interact to form what we know as "energy drinks".

What exactly are energy drinks?

Energy drinks provide energy to enhance physical activity of the drinker. Rather than consuming food, these drinks increase the drinker’s mental alertness and physical performance by addition of:
· Caffeine (central ingredient for most energy drinks)
· Vitamins
· Herbal supplements
These components interact to provide a stimulant effect on the human body.

What are stimulants?

Stimulants are a variety of compounds that excite the central nervous system or alter the body’s metabolism. They enhance alertness and increase the energy provided to the body.
Stimulants are very similar to hormones as they both have the same effect:
· Increase heart rate, increase blood pressure, and increased rate of respiration.
· They increase the breakdown of glycogen and glucose to meet the demands for energy.
· Increase the rate of neurotransmission through nerve cells.

Why is Caffeine the main ingredient in Energy Drinks?

Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world. It is a diuretic and increases alertness, concentration, and restlessness. Caffeine is also an alkaloid (nitrogen-containing compounds of plant origin containing heterocyclic rings and a tertiary amine group). It must be highlighted that caffeine is used as a boost in energy drinks. The other components already give a stimulant effect. Caffeine simply boosts the effect to make the drink really energetic.

Fig 1. The structure of caffeine. The IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) name for this compound is: 1,3,7-trimethylpurine-2,6-dione. If you need help naming basic Chemical compounds, you can contact the Higher Level Chemist for more details.

What else is there in Energy Drinks?

Besides caffeine, there are several other different substances that make up energy drinks such as:

· Taurine Regulantes muscle contractions
· Guaraná
· B Vitamins
· Ginseng
· Gingko Biloba
· L-Carnitine
· Sugars
· Anti-oxidants
· Glucuronolactone

Please read our Biology information pack for more information on ingredients and effects on the human body.

Is there a difference between Energy Drinks and Sport Drinks?

Surprisingly yes, there is a clear distinct difference between Energy Drinks and Sport Drinks. Energy drinks supply energy to the human body as we lose a lot of “fuel” when doing vigorous exercise. They use primarily carbohydrates to supply the body with energy. However sports drinks have a different purpose. Sport Drinks have the function ofsupplying carbohydrates in a fast digesting form to supply energy to muscles so that you have something that will keep you going until the end of the day.

Sports drinks also supply some of the components we lose in sweat (fluids, sodium, and potassium) and intentionally avoid ingredients that could speed the rate of fluid loss, like caffeine.

What happens when you sweat?

When you sweat, it is inevitable that you lose a lot of fluids. This is to cool your body down! But the liquid that you are losing contains excretory material such as urea and lots of ions (such as Na+ and K+). This is where drinks are necessary to replace these things that have been lost with sweat.

Where does the Chemistry come into all of this?

As it has been seen, there are several important substances that are lost in sweat. The Chemistry side of the project is to see which energy drink replaces these substances lost the quickest. How will we do this? Simple. We are going to use a process known as electrolysis to measure the current that is conducted in solutions of different energy drinks and compare the results.

KEY WORDS:
electrolysis chemical decomposition reaction produced by passing an electric current through a solution containing (charged particles).

THE PROCESS OF ELECTROLYSIS

To understand the concept of electrolysis, we must look at a very simple diagram:

This shows a simple set up of an electrolysis experiment. Once the electricity is turned on, the electrolyte (liquid containing ions) will dissociate into ions. Depending on their charges, the ion will either go to the positive electrode or the negative electrode.

Solutions in water (ultimately energy and drinks) contain hydroxide and hydrogen ions as well as the ions of the solute (in this case potassium and calcium and many more!)

The ions that are successfully released at the electrodes depend on three factors:

Position of the ion in the electrochemical series

Concentration of the ion in the solution

The nature of the electrode

Depending on these 3 different factors, different reactions can occur at the electrodes. Here is an example of ionic equations of the electrolysis of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) solution.

Negative Cathode:

2(H+) + 2e ---> H2

Positive Anode:
2(Cl-) - 2e ---> Cl2

Now that we have covered the theory, we can go into what we are trying to prove.

Our hypothesis: The energy drink or sport drink that conducts the most electricity (has the highest current) is the better drink to use in sport.

We will measure the current that is conducted through the liquid by the use of an ammeter. We will build an electrolytic cell to do this:

THE CHEMISTRY OF ELECTROLYTIC CELLS
In a voltaic cell electricity is produced by the spontaneous redox reaction taking place. Electrolytic cells are used to make non-spontaneous redox reactions occur by providing energy in the form of electricity from an external source (like a power pack).

In an electrolytic cell electricity is passed through an electrolyte and electrical energy is converted into chemical energy. It is important to note that an electrolyte is a substance which does not conduct electricity when solid, but does conduct electricity when molten or in aqueous solution and is chemically decomposed in the process.

Here is a simple diagram representing an electrolytic cell of molten sodium chloride (not that the products are different to that of an aqueous solution):

However instead of using molten sodium chloride, we are going to be using energy drinks. Once the power pack is turned on, the ammeter should tell us a reading of the current passing through this cell. We will compare the current with all the different energy drinks and compare this to the other experiments we have on offer for you!

Have you ever seen an electrolysis experiment?
If this is your first time, you should expect to see a lot of fizzing (or effervescence). Expect to have a great time observing all the different electrolysis experiments going on at our stall. If you have any queries about the investigation or the Chemistry behind it, don’t hesitate to contact the Chemist representative of our group, Michael. He will be happy to ask any of your questions!

Please make sure you read the other information packs as they are updated! Watch this space!

ENERGY DRINKS FILM

THAT IS RIGHT! We have a film coming to our stall all about sports! Please come by! It shows Rio hosting the olympic games and some fun facts about energy drinks!

Biology and Chemistry Brochures WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON!

The new brochures will be available soon. They will include all the scientific information you need to understand what is going on! Please get a copy on the day of the Science IB Group IV!

Have you ever wondered what energy drink is best for you? Which one of them most improves your physical performance? Our group decided to answer that by making this the theme of our project. If you are interested in finding this out, come visit us in the science fair.

Welcome!

Hello guys!

Welcome to our Group IV Project 2009! Here we are going to show you some information, pictures, videos and results to do with our experiments on "Energy Drinks".

Why did we choose energy drinks?

We all love Gatorade. We all love Red Bull. We all love these drinks. But are they really good for exercise and sport? Are they really efficient on the human body? What are the risks? This is why we chose energy drinks. It is impossible to think of sport without energy drinks and so we are going to investigate everything there is to know about them so that your physical activity can be safer to your body and also more enjoyable.

Check out this space for more info!!!!

See you in November for the big Science IB Group IV day!!!