Blow It Up

In this experiment you are going to blow up a balloon using the carbon dioxide that is given off from the reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.

Vocabulary:

Chemical reaction
Baking soda
Carbon dioxide
Vinegar
Mix
Bubbles

Materials: Soda bottle or other bottle with a small mouth, balloon, baking soda, vinegar, funnel

Procedure:
1. Talk to the children about what they observed in their previous experiment with baking soda and vinegar. Be sure to talk about the bubbles that formed when the two items were mixed and ask them to remember if they were able to make a lot of bubbles.

2. Explain to the children that today you are going to use baking soda and vinegar to blow up a balloon.
Questions to ask:

  • What happened when you mixed the baking soda and vinegar?
  • How do you think we can use baking soda, vinegar and a soda bottle to fill a balloon?

3. Time to demonstrate.

    1. Pour about one inch of vinegar into the bottle.
    2. Stretch the balloon a little and put about 1 tablespoon of baking soda into the balloon using the funnel.
    3. Place the balloon openeing over the mouth of the bottle, being careful not to get the baking soda into the bottle.
    4. Gently lift the balloon so that the baking soda drops into the bottle.
    5. The balloon should inflate from the carbon dioxide being given off from the chemical reaction.

4. Close this activity with discussion and questioning.

  • What happened when you mixed the baking soda and vinegar?
  • Why do you think the balloon blew up?
    • This is a good time to discuss the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar creating carbon dioxide.
  • How do you think we could have made the balloon bigger?
  • If we did this experiment again, what would happen?
    • The children will learn that every time they mix baking soda and vinegar they get the same reaction. If the experiment was performed again you would experience the same result.

Note: This is the second activity in a series of experiments on the chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar. This series begins here: Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Unit

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