Blow up a balloon with a chemical reaction through this experiment!
Materials
- Water bottle
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
- Balloon
- Optional: Funnel *makes putting baking soda in your bottle easier
If you don’t have a funnel and want to make one you will need:
- Index card
- Scissors
- Tape
Step 1: Take your index card and start rolling it inward while making sure the corner is smaller and gets larger at the end, to create the funnel shape. You can also use a pencil to make this easier.
Step 2: Tape your index card so it holds its shape.
Step 3: Make sure the bottom has a hole where your baking soda can fit through. If it’s not big enough you can cut it.
Step 1: Take your funnel and put it into your water bottle. Put baking soda into the funnel to get it into your water bottle.
Don’t add too much if you don’t want a big mess.
Step 2: Take the funnel out, and pour a bit of vinegar into the water bottle. I added some food coloring to my balloon because it was clear and I wanted to add a pop of color. You can do this too! The same chemical reaction occurs.
Step 3: Quickly add your balloon to the top of the water bottle. (This is a lot easier with two people but I was able to do it on my own) The balloon should now inflate! The size of it can change based on how much vinegar and baking soda you put in your water bottle.
Now we can ask ourselves, why does this happen? What causes the vinegar and baking soda to react this way?
Here’s your answer:
What we saw is what is referred to as a chemical reaction.
A chemical reaction is when two or more substances come together and react chemically to create a new substance. They transform chemically.
We also saw a physical change. This is when products come together and change form. We saw this when the vinegar and baking soda came together and became a fizzy gas. It released carbon dioxide.
The baking soda is considered our solid and the vinegar is our liquid. When the reaction settles, the fizz is gone. Now only a liquid remains. But it will not react the same way our vinegar would if we added baking soda. Why? Because it is a new substance now.
Try playing around with the experiment. You can add more of each substance and create different variations.