Elephant Toothpaste: Create an Erupting Foam Volcano!

Project Overview: Get ready to watch a foamy eruption gush from a bottle! This process uses a chemical reaction which releases oxygen gas so quick that it looks like an elephant sized tube of toothpaste! This experiment will be using a chemical catalyst, which is a substance used to speed up the process of a chemical reaction while remaining unchanged by the end of the reaction! This gives you an amazing experience where you can watch fun, colorful explosions happen using safe, household ingredients! WARNING: Only use 3% hydrogen peroxide (the kind found in first-aid kits), wear safety goggles at all times throughout the duration of this experiment, and do this experiment outside or on a tray, since the foam will overflow and make a mess!

Materials:

1. 1 Empty Plastic Bottle (a 16 oz. soda or water bottle works well)

2. 1/2 Cup of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

3. 1 Packet of Active Dry Yeast

4. 3 Tablespoons of Warm Water

5. A Squirt of Dish Soap

6. Any Food Coloring of Your Choice

7. A Small Cup for Mixing the Yeast

8. A Funnel

9. Safety Goggles

Instructions:

1. Put on your safety goggles before you begin the experiment

2. Using the funnel, pour the 1/2 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide into your empty plastic bottle

3. Add a squirt of dish soap into the bottle and gently mix it together

4. Add 4 drops of your favorite food coloring into the bottle

5. In your small mixing cup, stir the 3 tablespoons of warm water and the packet of yeast together until the yeast is fully dissolved

6. Pour the yeast mixture into the bottle using the funnel

7. Quickly step back and watch the foam erupt out of the bottle

8. Touch the outside of the bottle (not the foam!!!) and notice that it feels warm

9. Once 3-5 minutes have passed from the eruption, you may touch the foam (the chemical reaction is exothermic, meaning the reaction generates heat, so you must let it cool for 3-5 minutes!)

Explanation:

Wondering what was the chemical catalyst in this experiment? It’s yeast! Well, hydrogen peroxide is always slowly breaking apart into water and oxygen gas, but on its own, this happens far too slowly to notice. Yeast is a living organism which contains an enzyme called catalase, which acts as a catalyst. Yeast speeds up this breakdown without getting used up itself. When the yeast mixture hits the hydrogen peroxide, catalase quickly splits it into water and a burst of oxygen gas. The rapidly released oxygen becomes trapped by the dish soap, which creates the thick, foamy "toothpaste" you see erupting out of the bottle. The reaction is also exothermic, meaning it releases a form of energy into its surroundings when the reaction occurs. In this case, heat energy is released, which is why the bottle feels warm afterward — a reminder that a real chemical reaction doesn’t just have to be changed in physical form!