| From Anne Marie Helmenstine,
Ph.D.,
This is a twist on the classic baking soda
volcano, where you use the ingredients to make
squirt-able fountains of foam.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Mere Minutes
Here's How:
1. First, you need bottles for everyone. The
classic 2-liter bottle is nice because it's
compressible and holds a large volume. Gatorade
bottles are also good because they have wide
mouths, so it's easier to recharge the bottle.
2. Fill each bottle most of the way full of
warm water and add a squirt of dishwashing detergent.
3. Gather the rest of the materials you will
need: lots of vinegar and baking soda and food
coloring if you want colored bubbles. Be advised:
adding food coloring could result in staining
of clothing and other surfaces.
4. Add some baking soda to the bottle (couple
of tablespoons or so). Put your hand over the
bottle opening and shake it up to get the detergent
water all sudsy. Drip a bit of food coloring
onto the suds.
5. Note: if you add the food coloring before
shaking the detergent water, then the dye will
go into the water and the bubbles will be clear.
If you add the coloring just prior to adding
the vinegar then the bubbles will be deeply
colored (which also increases the staining potential).
6. Pour in some vinegar. This starts the reaction.
Feel free to give the bottle a little squeeze
to help things along. Do NOT seal the bottle
with a cap or lid. That basically makes a baking
soda bomb, which is dangerous.
7. You can recharge the reaction with more
baking soda and then more vinegar. If at any
time you feel like shaking up the bottle only
do this with your hand over the opening and
never cap or seal the bottle.
8. The foam fight part most people figure out
on their own. Have fun!
Tips:
Avoid getting the mixture into your eyes or
mouth. If eye contact occurs, rinse the solution
out. Don't drink the contents of the foam fight
bottle.
Avoid contact with unreacted vinegar or undiluted
dishwashing detergent. Both can irritate skin
and mucous membranes.
What You Need:
empty compressible plastic bottle - no lids
water
diswashing detergent
baking soda
vinegar
food coloring (optional)
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