Thursday, September 6, 2012

Inflating Balloon

Concept: Acid-Base Reaction 
The pH scale indicates the kind of ions a solution releases when it breaks down. Acidic solutions possess lots of hydrogen ions and basic solutions possess lots of hydroxide ions. Acidic substances have a pH below 7. Basic substances have a pH above 7. Neutral substances have a pH of 7. When acidic and basic substances interact, a chemical reaction called an acid-base reaction occurs. 

Read Aloud: Cool Chemistry Concoctions by Joe Rhatigan

Ingredients:
      ·         ½ cup Vinegar
      ·         ½ tbl. Baking Soda
      ·         Balloon
      ·         Plastic Bottle
      ·         Funnel

Demonstration:
      ·         Pour ½ cup of vinegar into the plastic bottle.
      ·         Loosen up the mouth of a balloon by stretching it and then use a funnel to fill it a little more than half full with baking soda.
      ·         Put the mouth of the balloon all the way over the neck of the plastic bottle but do not let any baking soda drop into the bottle.
      ·         Lift up the balloon so that the baking soda falls from the balloon into the plastic bottle.

Experiment:
·         Does the size of the bottle affect how much the balloon inflates?
·         Can the balloon be inflated to varying degrees by changing the amount of vinegar or baking soda used?

Observations: 
When the baking soda (a base) and the vinegar (an acid) interact, an acid-base reaction occurs and carbon dioxide (a gas) is created. Since gasses expand, the carbon dioxide fills the bottle and then moves into the balloon which causes it to inflate.

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