Yonkers Public Schools



Lavalamp science experimentYou will need:Vegetable OilVinegarFood coloringLong bottle or cupSmall cupSpoonBaking sodaInstructions to make your own lava lamp1 | Add the baking sodaStart by getting an empty bottle or a tall cup. It will be easier to watch the bubbles move in a tall container.Then add three spoons of baking soda2 | Add the oilIn this step, you will be filling two third of your tall container with oil.The baking soda will stay on the bottom for the container, do not try to mix it with the oil.We used a regular cooking oil.3 | Mix the vinegar and the food coloringOn the small container (not the one you have been using on the previous steps), add some vinegar and three drops of food coloring.4 | Let the magic beginNow that everything is ready, you can add drops of the colored vinegar to your big container and start watching your homemade lava lamp.Do not empty the vinegar at once, instead do it progressively to make this fun science experiment last.For a glowing effect, you can turn off the light and use a torch to light up your container. Lava Lamp experiment explanationOil and vinegar do not have the same density. Vinegar is more dense than the vegetable oil we are using in this science experiment. That’s why it sinks to the bottom of the container.Once the vinegar touches the bottom of the container, it reacts with the baking soda. This chemical reaction creates bubbling carbon dioxide – these are the bubbles you see within the container.Homemade Lava lamp experiment with saltIf you do not want to use baking soda or vinegar, you can make your own lava lamp with salt.Start by filling your tall container with two third of water.Add a bit of vegetable oil and wait until a layer is formed. Oil and Water do not have the same density and won’t mix.Then add some salt and watch. The reaction is a bit less impressive than with baking soda or Alka Seltzer but still very cool to watch!Make a prediction:What kind of relationship do oil and water have? Do they mix together or separate?Explanation: What will happen when food coloring is added to the mixture?Explanation: What happened? Describe the relationship between oil and water. Do they mix? Draw and label what you see.Is the water or oil more dense? How do you know?What happens when you add the vinegar? Draw and label what you see.The Chemistry Explanation Before the vinegar is dropped in the bottle, the oil floats on the colored water. Oil floats because it is less dense than water. Oil and water don’t mix because water molecules are not attracted to oil molecules. When the vinegar is dropped in the oil and water, it sinks to the bottom because it is more dense than oil and more dense than the water. In the water layer, the vinegar and baking soda begins to react. the chemicals react with each other creating bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. When enough gas enters an area of water, the water and-gas combination in this spot becomes less dense than the water around it, so it floats up through the water. If this water-and-gas mixture is less dense than the oil, it floats up through the oil too. Since the water is so attracted to itself and not to the oil, the water-and-gas mixture moves through the oil in a ball-shape. Once a ball of water and-gas gets to the surface, some bubbles of carbon dioxide gas pop, releasing the gas into the air. When enough bubbles pop, the water-and-remaining gas becomes more dense than the oil. So the ball of water sinks down through the oil and joins the rest of the water. Changes in density as gas is added to or taken away from water cause it to float up and sink down through the oil. Thus the lava lamp is created! Main Science Idea for Kids The main idea for kids is the concept of density, in particular, the idea that things that are more dense than a liquid sink and things that are less dense than a liquid float. This activity is interesting because gas is added to and taken away from big drops of water which changes their density and causes them to float or sink in oil. Kids love watching this version of a lava lamp because of the colorful blobs that are moving around. What better way to teach kids about chemistry than to show them something that will captivate them! Grade Level We have done this activity with second INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET The oil floats on top of the water because it is less dense or lighter than water. The food coloring has the same density as the water so it sink through the oil and mixes with the water. When you add the tablet it sinks to the bottom then starts to dissolve. As it dissolves it makes gas, carbon dioxide. Gas or air, is lighter than water so it floats to the top. The air bubbles bring some colored water with them to the top. When the air comes out of the colored water blob, the water gets heavy again and sinks. It does this over and over again until the tablet is completely dissolved. ................
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