Diaper Day

Yup, you read right. It was diaper day for the members today. Lets just say that no one was short of giggling when they saw the diapers. But it turned out the inner workings of a baby diaper were nothing short of fascinating.

MATERIALS & APPARATUS

~A clean diaper
~Beaker
~Scissors
~Water
~A plastic bag

PROCEDURE

1. Cut the portion of the diaper that absorbs moisture.
2. Take the inside lining out of the diaper and place in the plastic bag.
3. Give the plastic bag a vigorous shake or two.
4. After shaking it, you will be able to see granules at the bottom of the plastic bag. Collect the granules and place it inside the beaker. The inside lining of the diaper can be discarded.
5. Add water to the beaker, taking care that you do not add too much.
6. After a few minutes, the granules begin to crystallize.

Note: Discard the crystallized granules into the trash, not the sink.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
The material in the diaper is actually made from sodium polyacrylate, A Super Absorbent. Its nickname is the Super Slurper.

When sodium polyacrylate is exposed to water, the higher concentration of water outside the polymer than inside (lower sodium and polyacrylate solute concentration) draws the water into the center of the molecule via osmosis. Sodium polyacrylate will continue to absorb water until there is an equal concentration of water inside and outside the polymer.

It is used in baby diapers to keep baby bottoms dry. It is also a more convenient way to provide water to animals during transportation. The water soaked polymer crystals won't spill and animals can eat them to get water. Another common use is a soil substitute.

Have fun trying this experiment at home!