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Elephant Toothpaste

This document provides instructions for creating a large foamy reaction that looks like toothpaste using common household ingredients. Mixing yeast, warm water, hydrogen peroxide, and dish soap causes a catalytic reaction where the hydrogen peroxide breaks down, releasing oxygen gas bubbles that expand to form foam. Adding dish soap allows the bubbles to become trapped, creating a giant foam resembling toothpaste that could be used by an elephant. Safety glasses should be worn as hydrogen peroxide can irritate eyes.

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Putri Fatyn Amanda
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
65 views

Elephant Toothpaste

This document provides instructions for creating a large foamy reaction that looks like toothpaste using common household ingredients. Mixing yeast, warm water, hydrogen peroxide, and dish soap causes a catalytic reaction where the hydrogen peroxide breaks down, releasing oxygen gas bubbles that expand to form foam. Adding dish soap allows the bubbles to become trapped, creating a giant foam resembling toothpaste that could be used by an elephant. Safety glasses should be worn as hydrogen peroxide can irritate eyes.

Uploaded by

Putri Fatyn Amanda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Squeeze some science: Use a little kitchen chemistry to make a fountain of "toothpaste"

almost big enough for an elephant's brush! Credit: George Retseck


Key Concepts
Chemistry
Biology
Reaction
Catalyst
Surface tension
Introduction
Create a giant foaming reaction, and use science to wow your friends with
this classic activity. With just a few ingredients you can make something
that looks like foamy toothpaste being squeezed from a tube—but so big
that it looks almost fit for an elephant!
Background
You might be familiar with hydrogen peroxide as an antiseptic used to clean
cuts and scrapes, which it does by killing bacteria. But what is it? It is a
liquid made from hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms (its chemical formula
is H2O2). It is available in different strengths, or concentrations. You usually
find it in a 3 percent concentration (although higher concentrations are
available, they are more dangerous and must be handled carefully). It also
breaks down when exposed to light, which is why it usually comes in dark
brown bottles. 
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When hydrogen peroxide breaks down, it turns into oxygen (O 2) and water
(H2O). Normally this breakdown happens very slowly. But you can make
that reaction happen faster! How? By adding a catalyst. Yeast is an
organism that contains a special chemical called catalase that can act as a
catalyst to help break down hydrogen peroxide. Catalase is present in
almost all living things that are exposed to oxygen, and it helps them break
down naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide. 

This means that if you mix yeast with hydrogen peroxide, the hydrogen
peroxide will rapidly break down into water and oxygen gas. The oxygen gas
forms bubbles. These bubbles would usually escape from the liquid and pop
quickly. But adding a little dish soap provides additional surface tension,
allowing the bubbles to get trapped and creating lots of foam. This foam
looks like a giant squeeze of toothpaste—almost big enough for an elephant!
Materials
 Empty plastic bottle
 Dry yeast (found in the baking section of the grocery store)
 Warm water
 Liquid dish soap
 3% hydrogen peroxide
 Measuring cups 
 Measuring spoons
 Safety glasses
 Large tub or tray to catch the foam 
 Location for the activity that can tolerate spills (of hydrogen peroxide as
well as possibly food coloring), such as a kitchen or bathroom—or an
outdoor location 
 Liquid food coloring (optional)
 Different-shaped bottles or glasses (optional) 
Preparation
 Put on your safety glasses to do this activity because hydrogen peroxide can
irritate your eyes. (Note: although the product of this activity resembles
toothpaste, it is not toothpaste, so do not attempt to use it!)
 Gather your materials in the location where you plan to do your activity.
Place your plastic bottle on the tray or tub so that it is easy to clean up all
the foam.
Procedure
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 Measure 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide, and carefully pour it into the bottle.
 Add a big squirt of dish soap into the bottle, and swirl gently to mix.
 If you want to make your foam a single color, add a few drops of food
coloring directly into the hydrogen peroxide, and swirl the bottle gently to
mix. If you want to give your foam stripes like some toothpastes, put the
drops along the inside rim of the bottle’s mouth. Let them drip down the
inside of the bottle, but do not mix. 
 In a measuring cup mix together one tablespoon of yeast and three
tablespoons of warm water. Stir for about 30 seconds. 
 Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle then quickly step back, and watch
your reaction go! What happens? How long does the reaction last?
 Extra: Try the activity without the dish soap. What happens? How was the
result different?
 Extra: Try the activity with different-shaped containers. What happens if
you use a bottle with a narrower or wider neck—or a cylindrical drinking
glass with no neck?
Observations and results
You probably saw lots of bubbles and foam in this activity. What makes the
foam appear? When the hydrogen peroxide comes into contact with the
yeast it starts breaking down into water and oxygen. Oxygen is a gas and
therefore wants to escape the liquid. The dish soap that you added to your
reaction, however, traps these gas bubbles, forming a foam. The reaction
continues as long as there is some hydrogen peroxide and yeast left. Once
one of them runs out it stops making new foam. If you tried the activity
without dish soap, the reaction probably will still made bubbles—but not
foam. 
Cleanup
Wash the foam down the sink when you are done with the activity.

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