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Target Grades: 5-8
Content Areas: Physical Science, Chemistry
Activity Type: Food experiment
Time Required: About 1 hour
NGSS: MS-PS1-4:
CCSS. ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.3, ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.9
What do you think of when you think of crystals? Do emeralds, quartz, snowflakes, or maybe rock candy come to mind? You may be surprised to learn that chocolate, that delightful confection, is a crystal, too. Crystals are solids whose molecules, atoms, or ions are connected to one another in an organized pattern—called a crystalline structure—that repeats over and over throughout the solid. Chocolate molecules are often arranged in this way, which is why a chocolate bar gives a satisfying “snap” when you bite into it.
When chocolate is heated, thermal energy disrupts its ordered crystalline structure, causing it to melt into a liquid. Because chocolate can contain different types of crystals that melt at unique temperatures, a careful melting process called “tempering” is used to melt all but the most desirable crystal type, known as a beta-crystal. As the liquid chocolate cools after tempering, it recrystallizes using the remaining beta-crystals as a template. The resulting structure is almost entirely made up of beta-crystals, which are what make chocolate bars hard and shiny. Chocolatiers will sometimes add pre-tempered chocolate bits to cooling liquid chocolate to help guide beta-crystal formation in a method called “seeding.” Extreme temperature changes and the presence of other contaminants can interfere with the recrystallization process by preventing the chocolate crystals from organizing properly into a stable crystalline structure, resulting in mushy chocolate.
Watch the Science Friday video “Choc Full of Science” to learn about how chocolate is made.
In the following activity, you will become an experimental chocolatier and determine how different melting and cooling procedures impact the shine, hardness, and texture of finished chocolate. The process is a bit messy, but even the most unsightly products will still taste delicious!
Materials:
Safety Considerations: Make sure an adult cuts up the chocolate using a sharp knife and cutting board. The bowls and the melted chocolate inside them might get pretty hot, so experimenters should use hot pads and wear aprons when handling heated bowls of melted chocolate. Restrict this experiment to the kitchen or laboratory to avoid chocolate stains on any fabrics or carpeting.
Melting & Sampling Procedure
Double-boiler method – If you are using a double-boiler, melt the chocolate over simmering (not boiling) water, stirring constantly with a clean spatula until the chocolate is mostly melted. Remove from heat and stir with the spatula until all the little clumps are gone. The liquid chocolate should be warm, verging on hot, to the touch (about 110oF if using a thermometer).
The Experiment
The following modifications to the melting procedure described above will help or harm the chocolate recrystallization process. Try to predict how temperature changes, contaminants, and seed crystals will affect chocolate crystallization and the resulting chocolate. You can record your predictions on the .
Use one of the bowls of crushed chocolate for each of the following modifications (for some, you may be able to reuse the chocolate). After each experiment, label the chocolate sample on the parchment paper with a brief description of how it was prepared.
Seeding – After step #2, let the chocolate cool slightly (to about 89oF), and add a chunk of solid chocolate from your original bar directly into the melted chocolate. Mix well to cool the chocolate. The chunk acts as a “seed” crystal to provide a scaffold for new crystals to grow on and does not need to melt completely. Remove any leftover chunks before putting a sample onto the cookie sheet.
Scorching – In step #2, continue heating the chocolate beyond the point where it has just melted, until it begins to steam or bubble slightly. This will not only melt all crystals in the chocolate but willl begin to break down other molecules in the chocolate as well, causing them to separate and, in some cases, evaporate from the molten chocolate.
Seizing – After step #2, sprinkle some droplets of cold water into the melted chocolate, and keep stirring as it cools. Some of the molecules in chocolate are water-soluble and will dissolve into the added water, while others are hydrophobic (repelled by water) and will clump together.
Shocking – After step #2, rest the bottom of one of the bowls in ice water while stirring the chocolate continuously until it becomes difficult to stir, then continue with step #3.
Marble tempering – After step #2, pour the liquid chocolate out onto a marble slab. Using a clean spatula or metal scraping tool, smooth the chocolate out to help it cool, and then “work” it continuously around the slab with the spatula until it becomes thick and viscous.
DIY method – Think creatively about another way that you could treat the chocolate before it cools. What could you add or do differently that might change the shine, hardness, and texture of the chocolate? If you try your own method, be sure to place a sample on the cookie sheet and label it.
Make Chocolate Observations
Once your various samples have finished cooling to room temperature on the cookie sheet, record some observations about the chocolate’s shine, hardness, and texture on the . Which method gave the chocolate a shiny surface without streaks or clumps? Pick up the chocolate and try to break it between your fingers. Does it snap, bend, or get mushy? Lastly, take a bite out of the chocolate and describe its texture as it melts in your mouth. Is it lumpy, creamy, or waxy? Based on your observations, which method would you recommend to someone trying to coat a strawberry in a hard chocolate shell? Use your experimental observations to determine which method resulted in the most complete beta-crystals.
Standards
MS-PS1-4: Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.3: Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Related Links
Science Friday video: “Choc Full of Science“
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