On the morning of August 1, the students in the chemistry class of Minhang District Youth Activity Center had a hot "fireball" above their heads. With an excited expression on their faces, and convinced to ask for advice, they had a wonderful "encounter" with Hutchison WhiteCat Company.
First of all, the students had a simple understanding on the operation of the dishwashing and laundry detergent workshops. The filling, labeling and packing were done in one go. The mechanized assembly line, with fast and effective operation, continuous and smooth packing, made people dazzled, and everyone couldn't help but feel admiration towards the Hutchison WhiteCat Company.
After that, we arrived to the company's conference room, and the technical staff of Hutchison WhiteCat Company gave us a an entirely new kind of lecture on detergents that are fully integrated with daily life.
We have not only increased our knowledge and learned the truth behind some hot news, but also have a deep understanding of the corporate culture of Hutchison WhiteCat.
Lastly, there is the DIY little experiment that every one of our students was looking forward to. The most memorable thing is the free base comparison.
Laundry powders are alkaline, but too high alkalinity can cause skin irritation and fabrics damage. So, we have to compare the free alkali with the acid-base titration to see which kind of laundry powder is less harmful to people.
Separate WhiteCat and other brands’laundry powder who have the same quality as samples, and dilute with 1000ml of water.
Afterwards, we took 50ml of the three solutions and tested them with a pH meter. The pH value of WhiteCat Cold Water is 10.3, while the pH values ​​of the other products are 10.4 and 10.56 respectively. The results are very clear: WhiteCat Cold Water laundry powder has the least damage on fabrics and people.
Of course, because the free base is quantified, when the pH value difference is small, using acid-base titration, the experimental results will be clearer at a glance.
So, we poured the solution into a beaker and placed it on a magnetic stirrer. While stirring, we added hydrochloric acid slowly drop by drop, observing whether the value of the pH meter reached 9. If it reached the value, we would stop the titration immediately.
The results of the experiment came out again: the volume of hydrochloric acid used in the WhiteCat Cold Water laundry powder was 2.4ml, and the volumes of hydrochloric acid used in the other samples were 3.9ml and 4.0ml.
It seems that “good wine needs no bush”, because there are few WhiteCat’s advertisements on TV, our household laundry detergents are all bought in accordance with the advertisements.
I have to go home quickly to replace the old laundry powder!
This summer practice activity was very exciting. It allowed me to understand the mystery of chemistry in daily life, stimulated my interest in chemistry, and deepened my understanding in chemistry.
I believe that in the process of studying chemistry in the future, I will definitely have fun as I did today.

MinHang San Zhong
Cai Minwen