Final Speech Transcript

Good afternoon, my name is Esha Hafeez and today I will be presenting to you all my
final presentation about my final product and my mentorship at ChemQuest Chemicals.
First, I would like to show you my website. One of the requirements of the Independent
Study and Mentorship (ISM) class is to maintain an online portfolio where I store all of my
work. I have my mentor interview, project proposals, weekly journals, and all of the other work I
have completed. After this presentation, if you may like, you may browse my website.
So, a little bit about me—my name is Esha Hafeez, and I am a senior at Clear Horizons
Early College High School. My field of interest is chemical engineering, and I am fortunate that I
was able to get an experienced engineer such as Mr. Parker. Because of him and the experience I
have gained here at CQC, I have decided to major in chemical engineering when I graduate and
intend to pursue a career in chemical engineering.
My final product is a poster about acid- base neutralization with a neutralization
calculator. This poster will explain how proper acid-base neutralization is important to not only
chemical engineering field, but to other professions that are chemistry-related.
Some of the information from this presentation is taken from outside sources and will be
cited correctly at the end. For my project, I had to research about acids and bases and the
characteristics of common acids and bases to better understand the neutralization process. Not
only in chemical engineering, but in almost every chemistry-related profession, acids and bases
and their neutralization are extremely crucial.
Generally, acids are sour, have a pH of 0-6, and turn phenolphthalein to colorless.
Common acids in our lives are lemon juice, gastric acid, and vinegar. Bases, on the other hand,
are bitter, have a pH of 8-14, and turn phenolphthalein to a dark pink color. Some common bases
are soap and baking soda.
To go into more depth, there are two main theories regarding acids and bases. The first
one is the Arrhenius theory, which states that Acids dissolve in water to form hydrogen ions, H+
and that bases dissolve in water to form hydroxide ions, OH-. The second theory is the Bronsted-
Lowry theory, which states that acids donate a hydrogen and bases accept a hydrogen. These two
theories help explain how the neutralization reaction occurs at a molecular level, which will help
us determine which acids and bases would be best suited for each other.
 Another topic I had to research was the most common acids and bases used in a
laboratory, and according to Mr. Parker, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid
are most used. Sodium hydroxide is one of the strongest bases that has a variety of
concentrations available at a reasonable cost.
An important concept I learned from my mentor is the neutralization equation, which is
MV=MV, which is molarity times volume of an acid is equal to the molarity times the volume of
a base.
There were a couple of challenges I overcame through this journey. The first one was
choosing a project. Since I am very inexperienced, the dangers of creating an actual product in
the lab, and the concerns with confidentiality, we could not choose a project until very recently,
which delayed my progress. However, I ensured that I was flexible and worked extremely hard
despite the time constraint.
Another challenge I had to overcome is to successfully juggle an internship and school
simultaneously. Since I am a senior at an early college high school, I have a heavy workload.
However, I made sure that I managed my time wisely by planning ahead of time.
My project is a poster about acid-base neutralization that also accommodates a calculator
I made. The poster explains why proper neutralization is important, which acid-base
combinations are optimal for neutralization reactions to occur, how to neutralize an acid or base,
and a calculator where you can scan the QR-code and enter the information you have, and the
calculator will solve for the variable that you are trying to find.
This poster is intended for chemists, professors, and students. The purpose of this poster
is to aid chemists in successfully conducting a neutralization reaction, suggest which acids and
bases are suited for each other, teach or remind chemists of how to neutralize a base or acid, and
educate students about acid-base neutralization.
The first thing we had to do is collect data on what acid and base combinations are the
most efficient in neutralization reactions, so we had to experiment with the common bases and
acids, which are NaOH .5, .1, and 1 Normal, HCl, and H2SO4. We have to see which acid for
each of the base take the shortest volume to neutralize it or get it to a pH around 6-8. So, we set
up a titration system, filled up 10 mL of each base and 75 mL of water. Then we put each beaker
under each acid and slowly added the acid until the pink color turned colorless, which indicates
that the solution has reached neutrality. This experiment helps us find which acid and base
combinations are optimal for efficient neutralization reactions.
The next part is the calculator, which is based on the neutralization equation. Chemists
can scan the QR-code, type in the information they already have, and receive the information
they need without manually solving for it.
Neutralization is important because a product needs to have the correct pH for its
performance to be exemplary. If it’s too acidic or basic, its performance and the other factors of
the product will be lacking.
That concludes my presentation. I would like to thank Ms. Kahlich, the ISM supervisor,
for giving me an opportunity such as ISM where I can explore different careers and help me
choose my future career path. Additionally, I would like to thank my mentor Mr. Parker for
giving me an opportunity to intern here at CQC, Mr. Andre, who immensely helped me with my
project, and everyone here at CQC for being so nice to me. I will miss coming here every Friday!
Thank you for listening to my presentation.