Katherine A.

Block 5/6 2/6/13 Elephant Toothpaste Specific purpose: To demonstrate the chemical reaction of hydrogen peroxide, yeast, and liquid dishwashing soap. I figure we have all done or at least watched the classic Diet Coke and Mentos experiment and watched the coke fly in to the air in a mere few seconds. This demonstration shows the use of Hydrogen Peroxide and I bet when you hear the words Hydrogen Peroxide, it sounds like one of those chemicals in a mad scientists lab. But, its just that menacing brown bottle that costs only about $1.50 at the local drug store. Even before my first science fair, my dad always seemed to have something to do every weekend to keep my sister and I entertained. We constantly were doing experiments with Diet Coke and Mentos, non-Newtonian liquids, and other wacky things. During the demonstration, I will show you the reaction of hydrogen peroxide, yeast, and liquid dishwashing soap. To start off, I will mix the hydrogen peroxide with dish soap. After adding some food dye for show, I will add the yeast and warm water, causing a surprising reaction to occur.

A. To start off, gather your materials. These include:

1. Salon Care 40 volume liquid developer This contains 12% hydrogen peroxide.

2. Liquid dish soap

3. A packet of yeast

4. A Plastic 2-liter bottle

6. Hot water 7. Food coloring (optional) 8. Small bowl 9. A tablespoon measure and a 1 cup liquid measure 5. A metal cookie pan (to contain the mess), 10. Funnel 11. Spoon

B. After gathering your materials, get ready to combine them. Start off by pouring three tablespoons of the hot water into the small bowl. In a minute you will add the yeast, but remember that yeast is a living organism and the water needs to cool down a bit before the yeast is added. You know it is ok to add the yeast when your finger can stand the water temperature for more than a couple seconds. In the meantime, while waiting for the water to cool off a bit, pour a cup of the liquid developer in to the 2-liter bottle. Then, add a couple drops of food coloring. 5-7 drops is perfect. After, add the dish soap to the developer/ food coloring mixture. To know how much liquid dish soap to add, count to 2 Mississippi while squeezing the bottle. Swish around the mixture in the 2-liter bottle for about 30 seconds. By now, your water should be about lukewarm. Test it with your finger. If it is ready, dont be shy and just pour in the whole packet of yeast. Stir with a spoon until there are no more clumps of yeast left.

C. Last but definitely not least, its time for the fun part. Start off by setting the 2-liter bottle in the middle of the pan. Make sure its not on top of any precious papers, just in case. Set the funnel on the top of the bottle. Now before we add the yeast, a few warnings. Do not stand straight over the bottle, and this is going to happen fast so be ready to remove and set aside the funnel very quickly after the first part of the yeast gets in. Dont be picky that not all the yeast is in. As with all the ingredients, in this experiment measurements are not critical. Pour then remove. You have to be quick. Now youre ready to add the yeast. Quickly pour the yeast in to the bottle. Observe how the mixture suddenly foams and spills out of the container. Now depending on what the percent of hydrogen peroxide is of the solution you use, in this case Salon Care 40 volume liquid developer, the quicker the toothpaste fills the container, and the more of the toothpaste there is.

D. Next, how this works. Hydrogen peroxides chemical formula is H2O2. It looks exactly like water, but with an added oxygen atom, it becomes a very powerful oxidizer. Hydrogen peroxide is always breaking down into two things, water and oxygen. It just does so very, very, very slowly. The yeast is what we call a catalyst. By adding the yeast, it speeds up that breaking down very quickly. The released oxygen and water now mix with the dish soap. That causes the soap to rise very quickly.

In the end, today I showed you how to mix together a few easy substances to make an interesting reaction, and I told you how it works. Chemistry is such an interesting subject to observe, and this is only the top of the iceberg. There are so many more interesting reactions that you can observe. This is not the only simple experiment that you can accomplish with household items. Baking soda is always fun. Elephant toothpaste its self can be manipulated in ways that affect the end result. If you feel like trying one of these, try going to: http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistrydemonstrations/a/elephanttooth.htm

Glossary of unfamiliar words: Hydrogen peroxide: a colorless, unstable, oily liquid, H2 O 2, an aqueous solution of which is used chiefly as an antiseptic and a bleaching agent.

Yeast: any of various small, single-celled fungi of the phylum Ascomycota that reproduce by fission or budding, the daughter cells often remaining attached, and that are capable of fermenting carbohydrates into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Catalyst: a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected. Non-Newtonian liquids: a fluid whose flow properties are not described by a single constant value of viscosity (also called gack).