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Grab a grown-up, a few household ingredients, head outside, and conduct this fab-BOO-lous science experiment that'll blow your mind.
Supplies:
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Clear zip-top baggies
- Clothespin or chip clip
- Measuring cup
- Tablepoon
- Red and yellow food coloring
- Sharpie
Directions:
1. Use your sharpie and draw a jack-o'-lantern face on your plastic baggie.
2. Add ¾ cup of vinegar into a plastic baggie.
3. Make the vinegar orange by combining red and yellow food coloring in the baggie.
4. Pinch the bag just above the vinegar and hold it closed with a clothespin or chip clip.
5. Add 3 Tbsp of baking soda to the top of the bag and seal it tight.
6. Place the baggie on the ground and remove the clip. You might have to shake the bag a little.
7. Stand back and watch!
What’s going on:
Baking soda—also known as sodium bicarbonate—and vinegar—or acetic acid—react when they are mixed. A chemical reaction is when two or more substances combine and create a new substance. The atoms in the substances are breaking apart and forming new combinations. When this happens, there is an observable reaction. This could be the formation of a gas or heat.
In the baking soda and vinegar reaction, carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced. This fills up the bag. As the CO2 continues to build up in the bag, it has to go somewhere.
So the bag explodes
Observe changes
Record your observations as you make these changes to your exploding baggie pumpkin:
- Change the amounts of vinegar
- Change the amount of baking soda
- Use different sized bags
Write down or draw your observations. Analyze the results from your different adjustments. Did anything change?
You can see all of our at-home activities on the blog or on Pinterest.
