Elephant toothpaste
In this post we will uncover the science behind the fascinating foam reaction of the elephant toothpaste experiment.
Join me on a journey of discovery as we explore the chemical reactions at play and how you can recreate this visually captivating experiment at home. This is a super easy and fun experiment that can easily turn into a science project.
This captivating demonstration delves into chemical reactions, creating an impressive foam eruption. You can try it with different colors and make a whole rainbow of foam! And the best thing is you can play with the foam!
Materials:
- A half-liter bottle
- Oxygen cream 9%
- Dry yeast
- dish soap
- Warm water
- Food coloring
What to do?
- Pour the oxygen cream into the bottle.
- Add 7-8 drops of concentrated food coloring.
- Add 3 spoons of dish soap and mix.
- In a cup, add 100 ml of hot (not boiling) water with a spoon of dry yeast and mix well.
- Pour the yeast solution into the bottle.
Why does this happen?
Hydrogen peroxide consists of a water molecule with an additional oxygen atom H2O2 and this
molecule is a sensitive substance that breaks down relatively easily.
The addition of the yeast speeds up the process and causes a quick and immediate
breakdown of the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
Because we added soap to the hydrogen peroxide, the oxygen that is released creates tiny
soap bubbles and hence the sudden burst of foam. The foam is safe to play with.
If you touch the bottle, you can feel it is hot. The reaction is called an exothermic
reaction – a chemical reaction that emits heat.
To turn this experiment into a science project, the following questions can be asked and investigated:
1. Will there be a difference in the experiment if we perform it with oxygen cream 9%, 6%, 3%?
2. Does the amount of yeast matter? What will happen if we add more / less yeast?
3. Does the temperature of the water matter? What will happen if we add the yeast to cold or boiling water?
4. What will happen if we don’t add soap to the water?
Try and share your answers with me!
If you enjoyed this experiment, make sure to check out our volcano eruption experiment. The reaction looks similar but the gas that is released is carbon dioxide instead of oxygen!
We’d love to showcase your creativity!
Share pictures of your experiments with us, and together, we can inspire young scientists everywhere!
