Pop Rocks & Soda

Concept: Physical Change
A physical change occurs when the state of matter of a substance is altered but not its chemical composition. In general, a physical change is reversible. Examples of physical changes include melting, freezing, vaporization, condensation, dissolution and sublimation.

Read Aloud: Crazy Concoctions by Jordan D. Brown

Ingredients:

      ·         12 oz. Soda Bottle

      ·         1 pkg. Pop Rocks

      ·         Balloon

      ·         Funnel

Demonstration:

      ·         Loosen up the mouth of a balloon by stretching it and then use a funnel to fill it with a packet of Pop Rocks.

      ·         Put the mouth of the balloon all the way over the neck of the soda bottle but do not let any Pop Rocks drop into the bottle.

      ·         Lift up the balloon so that the Pop Rocks fall from the balloon into the soda bottle.

Experiment:

·         Do different types of soda release more carbon dioxide?

·         Do different flavors of Pop Rocks release more carbon dioxide?

Observations: 

Both soda and Pop Rocks contain carbon dioxide. When Pop Rocks are added to carbonated beverages, the soda dissolves the sugar of the candy. This releases the trapped gas within the candy and also inside the soda itself. Since the soda's carbon dioxide is highly pressurized, it escapes and rises into the balloon, causing it to inflate.