Powerade Lab Report

The objective of this lab was to recreate the color profile of a given solution. In this case, the solution was Powerade. The final solution should match the absorbance values at the peak wavelengths (420nm and 628nm) in Powerade. This lab was done using deionized water, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, and a spectrometer. To obtain the correct color profile, FD&C Blue #1 and FD&C Yellow #5 were utilized in the sample solutions. The experiment was conducted over two days; the first day was reserved for collecting data to create Beer’s Law plots. This was done by making five different dilutions of each of the dyes present in Powerade and recording the absorbance values at each new molarity. The second day of this lab was spent analyzing those plots and using them to create sample solutions. The sample solutions created in this lab did not match the color profile; however, each trial got closer to being a match. The absorbance
According to United States Food and Drug Administration, color additives are defined as any dye, pigment, or other substance that can impart color to a food, drug, or cosmetic or to the human body. There are three classifications of color additives. These are straight colors, lakes, and mixtures. The only classification relevant to this lab is straight colors. Straight colors are defined as color additives that have not been mixed or chemically reacted with any other substance.2 In 1931, the FDA approved fifteen straight colors for the use in food. This original list of fifteen contains six of the seven straight colors still in use today, including the two dyes present in Powerade: FD&C Blue #1 and FD&C Yellow #5. From that point on the FDA continued to improve the standards for color additives and in response to a 1938 Act the nomenclatures of FD&C and D&C for the approved color additives. However, some health concerns have been brought to attention with the growing use of