Instructions for each experiment listed below!!
Bring out the inner chemist in you with these 5 simple chemical reactions that you can do at home! We demonstrate an acid base reaction (egg and vinegar), a dissolution reaction (acetone dissolves styrofoam), a pH indicator reaction (using red cabbage juice), a decomposition reaction (elephant toothpaste), and a combustion reaction (the “carbon snake”).
00:00 Experiments:
00:30 EGG & VINEGAR-
1) Place egg into a cup or jar (best if see-through).
2) Pour in enough vinegar to completely cover the egg.
3) Wait at least 1 day. Air bubbles will make the egg float, gently tap container on the counter to release air bubbles on the shell to make it sink.
01:35 NAIL POLISH REMOVER & STYROFOAM-
1) Carefully pour acetone onto styrofoam and watch it dissolve.
*) Tip: Removers with higher percentage acetone works best.
02:20 RED CABBAGE JUICE PH INDICATOR-
1) Boil a handful of red cabbage slices until the water has turned a dark blue/purple. This will take ~10-15 minutes. Let the juice cool.
2) Pour small portions of the juice into a separate see-through container.
3) Add any liquid being tested to the juice and watch the color change.
*) Clear liquids work best, if the color doesn’t change then the liquid you added doesn’t have a pH or is neutral.
03:44 ELEPHANT TOOTHPASTE-
1) Combine 3 Tbsp warm water and 1 Tbsp of yeast. Stir for several minutes until lumps are gone.
2) Combine in a bottle 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide with 1 Tbsp liquid dish soap. OPTIONAL- add a few drops of food coloring to add color.
3) Pour the yeast mix into the bottle, the reaction happens immediately.
*) The foamy bubbles are safe to touch, it is mostly just oxygen gas, water, and liquid soap.
04:28 CARBON SNAKE-
1) Add sand to a heat-safe container, like a ceramic pot. Form a small mound of sand on top and create a small crater in the top.
2) Drench the small mound of sand with lighter fluid.
3) Mix 1 Tbsp of baking soda with 4 Tbsp sugar and pour enough into the small sand crater to fill it.
4) Step back, make sure the area is clear and secure, and light the sand on fire.
5) The snake will continue growing for as long as the fire burns, which can take up to 20 minutes.
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