Chemistry messes

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What You'll Need:

  1. Hydrogen Peroxide:
    • Use at least 6% concentration for the best reaction. (You can find 12% or higher at beauty supply stores labeled as "developer.")
    • Lower concentrations (3%) will work but won’t create as dramatic an effect.
  2. Dish Soap:
    • Any liquid dish soap works, but more bubbly brands create more foam.
  3. Food Coloring:
    • Choose a few fun colors for a vibrant effect (optional).
  4. Yeast Catalyst:
    • One packet of dry yeast (or about 2 ¼ teaspoons).
    • Warm water (about 2-3 tablespoons, at ~100°F / 37°C) to activate the yeast.
  5. Other Materials:
    • A plastic bottle (a 16-20 oz soda bottle works great).
    • A tray or large pan to catch the foam (or do it outside).
    • Safety goggles and gloves (recommended for handling peroxide).

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Bottle:
    • Place the plastic bottle on a tray, in a large pan, or on a tarp outdoors.
  2. Mix the Hydrogen Peroxide Solution:
    • Pour about ½ cup (120 mL) of hydrogen peroxide into the bottle.
    • Add a generous squirt of dish soap (2 tablespoons) and swirl gently to mix.
    • For a colorful explosion, add a few drops of food coloring to the inside walls of the bottle so the foam comes out striped.
  3. Prepare the Yeast Catalyst:
    • In a separate small cup, mix one packet of dry yeast with about 2-3 tablespoons of warm water. Stir for about 30 seconds until it dissolves and becomes a slurry.
  4. Create the Explosion:
    • Quickly pour the yeast mixture into the bottle and stand back!
    • The reaction happens almost instantly, creating a dramatic foamy eruption that spills over the sides of the bottle like a volcano.

The Science Behind It:

  • Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition: The yeast acts as a catalyst to break hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into water (H₂O) and oxygen (O₂).
  • Foam Formation: The oxygen gas gets trapped in the dish soap, forming bubbles and creating an expanding foam.
  • Exothermic Reaction: The reaction releases heat, so the foam will feel warm to the touch.

Tips for Success:

  • Use higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (12% or more) for a truly explosive eruption.
  • Scale it up by using a larger bottle and increasing the amounts of all ingredients proportionally.
  • Add glitter or small beads to the mix for an extra "wow" factor!

Mess Level:

HIGH! Foam will spill everywhere, so do this outside or use a tarp for easy cleanup. The foam is safe to touch but can be messy. Chemistry messes [∞]

1. Elephant Toothpaste Explosion

  • What it Teaches: Exothermic reactions, catalysts, and decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Hydrogen peroxide (6% or higher)
    • Dish soap
    • Food coloring
    • Yeast mixed with warm water (as a catalyst)
  • What to Do: Mix hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and food coloring in a bottle. Pour the yeast solution in and stand back as colorful foam shoots out like a volcanic eruption!
  • Mess Level: High (do it outside or on a tarp).

2. DIY Slime Chemistry

  • What it Teaches: Polymers and chemical bonding.
  • What You'll Need:
    • White glue
    • Borax (or contact lens solution with boric acid)
    • Water
    • Food coloring and glitter for flair
  • What to Do: Mix glue, water, and food coloring. Gradually add the borax solution and knead until the slime forms. Encourage students to experiment with consistency.
  • Mess Level: Medium (sticky but manageable with table covers).

3. Baking Soda and Vinegar Rockets

  • What it Teaches: Gas production, chemical reactions, and pressure.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Small plastic film canisters (or similar containers)
    • Baking soda
    • Vinegar
    • Tissue paper
  • What to Do: Wrap baking soda in tissue, put vinegar in the canister, and add the wrapped baking soda. Seal the canister, shake, and place it on the ground. Watch it pop!
  • Mess Level: High (do it outside).

4. Colorful Milk Fireworks

  • What it Teaches: Surface tension and the behavior of molecules.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Milk (whole works best)
    • Food coloring
    • Dish soap
    • Cotton swabs
  • What to Do: Pour milk into a shallow dish, add drops of food coloring, and touch the surface with a cotton swab dipped in dish soap. The colors will explode and swirl.
  • Mess Level: Medium (contained, but food coloring can stain).

5. Glow Stick Chemistry (Glow-in-the-Dark Fun)

  • What it Teaches: Chemiluminescence and energy release.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Glow sticks
    • Beakers with hot, cold, and room-temperature water
  • What to Do: Break and activate glow sticks, then place them in beakers of different temperatures. Discuss how temperature affects the speed of chemical reactions.
  • Mess Level: Low (but keep glowing liquid contained if sticks are cut open).

1. Rainbow Density Tower

  • What it Teaches: Density and immiscible liquids.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Honey, corn syrup, dish soap, water, rubbing alcohol, vegetable oil
    • Food coloring
    • Clear container
  • What to Do: Color each liquid and pour them one at a time into the container, layering them carefully to create a rainbow. Students can drop small objects in to test where they float or sink.
  • Mess Level: Medium (spills happen, but colors make it exciting!).

2. Mentos and Soda Geyser

  • What it Teaches: Gas formation, nucleation, and pressure.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Diet soda (2-liter bottle)
    • Mentos
    • Geyser tube (optional, for better aim)
  • What to Do: Drop Mentos into the soda as quickly as possible and watch the soda shoot into the air. Bonus: Set up different sodas to compare heights!
  • Mess Level: Extremely high (outdoor activity).

3. Oobleck Madness

  • What it Teaches: Non-Newtonian fluids and states of matter.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Cornstarch
    • Water
    • Food coloring
  • What to Do: Mix cornstarch and water until you get a gooey mixture that acts like a solid when struck but flows like a liquid when handled gently. Add food coloring for extra fun.
  • Mess Level: High (sticky, but totally worth it).

4. Lava Lamp Chemistry

  • What it Teaches: Density, immiscible liquids, and gas production.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Clear bottle
    • Vegetable oil
    • Water
    • Food coloring
    • Alka-Seltzer tablets
  • What to Do: Fill a bottle with oil and water, add a few drops of food coloring, then drop in pieces of Alka-Seltzer. The fizz creates mesmerizing bubbles.
  • Mess Level: Low to Medium (manageable but can be slippery).

5. Flame Color Magic

  • What it Teaches: Emission spectra and chemical properties of elements.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Cotton swabs
    • Salt, borax, copper sulfate (or other salts)
    • Rubbing alcohol
    • Metal tray or fire-safe dish
  • What to Do: Dip swabs in rubbing alcohol mixed with salts, light them in a controlled flame, and watch the flames change colors. (Safety goggles and a controlled environment are a must!)
  • Mess Level: Medium to High (fire and alcohol can be messy but thrilling).


1. Vinegar and Baking Soda Volcano

  • What it Teaches: Acid-base reactions and gas production.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Baking soda
    • Vinegar
    • Dish soap (optional for foam)
    • Food coloring
    • Paper mache or sand to make a volcano
  • What to Do: Build a small volcano structure. Inside, mix baking soda, a bit of dish soap, and food coloring. Pour vinegar in, and watch the eruption!
  • Mess Level: High (great for outdoors or on a tarp).

2. Carbon Snake (Sugar and Baking Soda Reaction)

  • What it Teaches: Combustion and thermal decomposition.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Sand
    • Sugar
    • Baking soda
    • Rubbing alcohol
    • Lighter
  • What to Do: Mix sugar and baking soda, place on a mound of sand, and pour rubbing alcohol over it. Light the alcohol, and watch a black "snake" grow out of the sand.
  • Mess Level: High (do it outside or in a well-ventilated area with safety measures).

3. Instant Hot Ice

  • What it Teaches: Crystallization and supercooling.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Sodium acetate (can be made by reacting vinegar and baking soda)
    • A glass container
    • Hot water
  • What to Do: Supercool a sodium acetate solution, then pour it out or touch it with a seed crystal to instantly form solid "ice" that generates heat. Let students shape it as it crystallizes.
  • Mess Level: Medium (contains spills but is relatively easy to clean).

4. Rainbow Fireworks in a Jar

  • What it Teaches: Solubility and molecular interactions.
  • What You'll Need:
    • A clear jar
    • Warm water
    • Oil
    • Food coloring
  • What to Do: Mix food coloring with oil in a cup. Slowly pour this mixture into a jar of warm water. The food coloring will streak and "explode" as it mixes with the water, creating a firework effect.
  • Mess Level: Medium (beautiful but can get slippery).

5. Screaming Gummy Bear

  • What it Teaches: Oxidation and energy release.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Potassium chlorate (handle with caution)
    • Gummy bear
    • Heat source (Bunsen burner or torch)
  • What to Do: Heat potassium chlorate in a test tube until it liquefies. Carefully drop a gummy bear in and watch as it reacts violently, producing heat, light, and sound.
  • Mess Level: High (requires safety goggles and a controlled lab environment).

1. Vinegar and Baking Soda Volcano

  • What it Teaches: Acid-base reactions and gas production.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Baking soda
    • Vinegar
    • Dish soap (optional for foam)
    • Food coloring
    • Paper mache or sand to make a volcano
  • What to Do: Build a small volcano structure. Inside, mix baking soda, a bit of dish soap, and food coloring. Pour vinegar in, and watch the eruption!
  • Mess Level: High (great for outdoors or on a tarp).

2. Carbon Snake (Sugar and Baking Soda Reaction)

  • What it Teaches: Combustion and thermal decomposition.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Sand
    • Sugar
    • Baking soda
    • Rubbing alcohol
    • Lighter
  • What to Do: Mix sugar and baking soda, place on a mound of sand, and pour rubbing alcohol over it. Light the alcohol, and watch a black "snake" grow out of the sand.
  • Mess Level: High (do it outside or in a well-ventilated area with safety measures).

3. Instant Hot Ice

  • What it Teaches: Crystallization and supercooling.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Sodium acetate (can be made by reacting vinegar and baking soda)
    • A glass container
    • Hot water
  • What to Do: Supercool a sodium acetate solution, then pour it out or touch it with a seed crystal to instantly form solid "ice" that generates heat. Let students shape it as it crystallizes.
  • Mess Level: Medium (contains spills but is relatively easy to clean).

4. Rainbow Fireworks in a Jar

  • What it Teaches: Solubility and molecular interactions.
  • What You'll Need:
    • A clear jar
    • Warm water
    • Oil
    • Food coloring
  • What to Do: Mix food coloring with oil in a cup. Slowly pour this mixture into a jar of warm water. The food coloring will streak and "explode" as it mixes with the water, creating a firework effect.
  • Mess Level: Medium (beautiful but can get slippery).

5. Screaming Gummy Bear

  • What it Teaches: Oxidation and energy release.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Potassium chlorate (handle with caution)
    • Gummy bear
    • Heat source (Bunsen burner or torch)
  • What to Do: Heat potassium chlorate in a test tube until it liquefies. Carefully drop a gummy bear in and watch as it reacts violently, producing heat, light, and sound.
  • Mess Level: High (requires safety goggles and a controlled lab environment).

1. Cabbage Juice pH Indicator

  • What it Teaches: Acids, bases, and pH scales.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Red cabbage
    • Hot water
    • Vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, soap, etc.
    • Clear cups
  • What to Do: Blend red cabbage with hot water to extract the juice. Pour the juice into clear cups, then add various household substances. Watch the liquid change color based on pH (acid = pink, neutral = purple, base = green/blue).
  • Mess Level: Medium (color stains are possible, but cleanup is manageable).

2. Exploding Lunch Bag

  • What it Teaches: Chemical reactions, gas production, and pressure.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Ziplock bags
    • Vinegar
    • Baking soda
    • Tissue paper
  • What to Do: Wrap baking soda in tissue paper, put vinegar in the bag, and quickly add the tissue before sealing. Shake and watch the bag expand until it pops!
  • Mess Level: High (prepare for flying vinegar and laughter).

3. Glow-in-the-Dark Bubbles

  • What it Teaches: Fluorescence and chemical reactions.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Tonic water (contains quinine)
    • Bubble solution
    • Black light
  • What to Do: Mix tonic water with bubble solution. Turn off the lights, turn on the black light, and let students blow glowing bubbles.
  • Mess Level: Low to Medium (bubbles might spill, but it's worth the glow!).

4. Sugar Glass and Edible Chemistry

  • What it Teaches: Caramelization, phase changes, and heat reactions.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Sugar
    • Corn syrup
    • Water
    • Food coloring
  • What to Do: Heat sugar, water, and corn syrup until it reaches the "hard crack" stage. Pour onto a silicone mat or mold and let it cool into sheets of "glass." Add food coloring for variety. Discuss how temperature affects the chemical structure.
  • Mess Level: Medium (sticky and hot but edible fun).

5. Bouncy Ball Chemistry

  • What it Teaches: Polymers and cross-linking reactions.
  • What You'll Need:
    • Borax
    • Glue
    • Cornstarch
    • Food coloring
  • What to Do: Mix glue, water, and food coloring in one cup. In another cup, mix warm water and borax. Combine the two mixtures, add cornstarch, and knead until it becomes bouncy and moldable. Shape into balls and bounce them!
  • Mess Level: High (sticky hands and goo everywhere).

Walking on Water with Oobleck

  • What it Teaches: Non-Newtonian fluids behave like solids under pressure and like liquids when pressure is removed.
  • What You'll Need:
    • LOTS of cornstarch (about 50 lbs for a small kiddie pool or large tray)
    • Water
    • A large plastic kiddie pool or big sturdy tray
    • Food coloring (optional, for extra fun)
    • Towels for cleanup

How to Do It:

  1. Set Up:
    • Place the kiddie pool or tray in a wide-open space (preferably outdoors or on a tarp to minimize mess).
  2. Mix Oobleck:
    • The ratio is roughly 2 parts cornstarch to 1 part water. Gradually add water to the cornstarch and mix until you reach the desired consistency. The mixture should feel solid when you apply pressure but flow like a liquid when you release.
    • If you want, you can add food coloring to make it colorful and exciting!
  3. Walk on It:
    • Let students take turns walking (or even running) across the surface.
    • They need to move quickly because if they stop, they'll sink! This demonstrates how pressure affects the properties of the oobleck.
  4. Clean Up:
    • Have towels ready for cleaning feet and hands. The mixture can be rinsed away with water as it’s biodegradable.

Safety Tips:

  • Make sure students don’t try to jump or dive into the mixture—it’s not deep enough for that!
  • Use old clothes and shoes because it’s messy.
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