Volcanoes and Fountains

 Volcanoes and Fountains

 2 experiments that have to do with release of carbon dioxide.

1. Making carbon dioxide through a chemical reaction

Acid: Vinegar or acetic acid

Base: Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate

Salt: Sodium acetate

Here is the reaction between the baking soda and vinegar to produce the salt sodium acetate:

Baking soda + Vinegar ->sodium acetate + water + carbon dioxide

Na⁺[HCO3]^– + CH3–COOH → CH3–COO^– Na⁺ + H2O + CO2

Procedure: Make volcano shape with dough and plastic bottle. Add warm water, a few drops of detergent and 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the bottle. Carefully add vinegar to the bottle. Watch out! We add detergent just to get extra bubbles.

2. Release of dissolved carbon dioxide: Carbonated drinks like Pepsi, Fanta, Coca cola and soda water have carbon dioxide dissolved in them.  This carbon dioxide slowly gets released when you open the bottle. That’s why you see bubbles in these drinks. A catalyst is something that makes a reaction happen faster. We are going to add Menthos to a bottle of Pepsi. The Menthos is going to act like a catalyst that will make the release of carbon dioxide fast. (The pores of Menthos help nucleation of carbon dioxide.)  This causes fast formation of bubbles results in the fountain effect.

Procedure: Make a paper tube that will hold 10 Menthos.  In a open area add the Menthos quickly to the bottle of Coke.  Be careful that you don’t get wet!