Student Guide to

Alka-Seltzer Rocket Experiment

Materials Needed:
Alka-Seltzer tablets
Film canisters (with lids that won’t leak)
Poster paper
Duct tape
Scissors
Pens, markers, and stickers (for decorating)
Measuring tape or meter stick
Plastic containers
Clear plastic cups
Plastic spoons
Towel

Buzz Lightyear is a Space Ranger who can fly to “infinity and beyond" in his space
rocket. Using these materials, we can make a rocket too! Our rocket won't fly
through space, but it can fly through the room! Here's how to make your very own
rocket

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Sonia Vargas, Alka-Seltzer Rockets, 1/26/12
5th-6th grade Procedure
Name:

First, determine the amount of water to use in your rocket fuel.

Experiment 1:

4 spoonfuls of
water

3 spoonfuls of
water

Using four empty film canisters, measure out different amounts of water into the canisters:

2 spoonfuls of
water

1 spoonful of
water

Then, place the canisters into your plastic bin with their lids OFF. Make sure you place them in
the canister in the same order as in the picture above. With your partner, prepare to add the Alka-
Seltzer to each canister. Break two tablets of Alka-Seltzer in half. With your partner(s), add the
½ a tablet of Alka-Seltzer to all the canisters at the same time. Step back and observe! Circle the
canister that fizzed the highest in the picture above.
Write down any other observations:

Next, determine what amount of Alka-Seltzer tablet to use in your rocket fuel.

Experiment 2:

Using four empty film canisters, fill each canister with

two spoonfuls of water.
Then, place the canisters into your plastic bin with their lids OFF.

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Sonia Vargas, Alka-Seltzer Rockets, 1/26/12
 3/4
of a tablet

1
whole tablet

Make sure you place them in the canister in the same order as in the picture below. With your
partner, prepare to add the Alka-Seltzer to each canister, but DO NOT put it in yet.

1/4
of a tablet

2/4
of a tablet

Each canister gets the amount shown in the picture above. Have your partner(s) help you to add
the Alka-Seltzer to the canisters. Try to put the Alka-Seltzer into all the canisters at the same
time. On the picture above, circle which canister fizzes the highest.
Write down any other observations:

Amount of Water that fizzed the highest in

Experiment 1:____________________________

Amount of Alka-Seltzer that fizzed the highest in

Experiment 2:______________________________

Now let’s test to see which combination of the two makes the best rocket fuel.

Experiment 3:

3/4 of a tablet

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Sonia Vargas, Alka-Seltzer Rockets, 1/26/12
 Fill each canister with the amount of water that fizzed the highest in Experiment 1. Then, place
the canisters into your plastic bin with their lids OFF.

1 whole tablet

1/4 of a tablet

2/4 of a tablet

Then with your partner, add the Alka-Seltzer according to the picture above to the canisters.
Have your partner(s) help you to add the Alka-Seltzer to the canisters. Try to put the Alka-
Seltzer into all the canisters at the same time. On the picture above, circle which canister fizzes
the highest.
Write down any other observations:

Was the amount of Alka-Seltzer that popped first in Experiment 2 the same as the amount of
Alka-Seltzer that popped first in Experiment 3? If not, let’s compare them to see which
combination is better!

Experiment 4:
Compare Experiments 1 and 2 in this experiment and see which one fizzes the highest. Write in
the amounts of water and Alka-Seltzer that you’re adding to each canister in the boxes below by
hand. Add the amount of water that popped first in Experiment 1 to both canisters and then
prepare the amounts of Alka-Seltzer and add them.

Amount of water added:

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Sonia Vargas, Alka-Seltzer Rockets, 1/26/12
 Amount of water added:

Amount of Alka-Seltzer that fizzed Amount of Alka-Seltzer that

Which one fizzed
the highest in the highest? This combination will fizzed
be yourthe
rocket fuel!
highest in
Experiment 2: Experiment 3:
______________________________________
______________________ ________________________
____
Now
that you’ve found the perfect rocket fuel, let’s get started on your rocket!

Procedure:
1. Decorate your circle. To make a cone, cut your circle out and then fold it in half.
2. Cut along the crease and cut your circle in half.
3. Use one of the halves of your circle to make your cone. Take the two straight sides and
bring them towards each other until they touch and you have an ice-cream cone shape.
Tape it together; you can have a partner help do this if you need help. If you make a
mistake, you can use the other half.
4. Make your fins.
5. You can draw your own fins and cut them out, or you can use the other half of your
circle. Cut the other half of your circle in half and make it even until you have two
triangles. The two triangles can be the fins for your rocket.
6. Tape the cone to your film canister. It should look like a party hat on top of your canister.
Make sure you tape your cone to the side of the rocket that does not have a lid. DO NOT
TAPE THE LID!
You need the lid to be free so your rocket will work properly.
7. Tape the fins to the sides of your rocket. They should be taped on opposite sides and they
should face outwards, like wings.
8. Add more tape to one side of your rocket so it will be heavier and fly better. Do NOT
tape the lid to the canister!
9. Write your name on your rocket.

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Add your rocket fuel to your rocket, adding the water first, and then capping the canister quickly
after you add the Alka-Seltzer. Set your rocket quickly with the lid against a wall to watch your
rocket fly! Stand back and don’t forget to clean up your rocket mess after it takes off!

Teacher’s Guide:
Buzz Lightyear’s Alka-Seltzer Rockets
by Sonia Vargas, Colby College, January 2012

Teaching Objectives:
To introduce the basic chemistry concepts of chemical reactions and the formation of a gas as a
product of a chemical reaction.

Key Terms:
⮚ Reactants- The” before” aspect of a chemical reaction.
⮚ Products- The “after” aspect of a chemical reaction. They are created in a chemical
reaction.
⮚ Chemical Reaction- A process that leads to the transformation of one thing to another.

Theme:
Buzz Lightyear is a Space Ranger who can fly to “infinity and beyond" in his space
rocket. Using these materials, we can make a rocket too! Our rocket won't fly through space, but
it can fly through the room! Here's how to make your very own rocket.

Applications:
Chemical reactions are everywhere, from the plants that create the oxygen that we breathe to the
over-the-counter medicine that we take. This experiment can be the first step to approaching and
understanding the complex chemical reactions that surround us everyday.

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Total Materials (for a class of 20):
1. 20 plastic film canisters (1 for each student) with lids that won’t leak.
2. 10 plastic cups (for water).
3. 5 shoe-box sized plastic storage bins.
4. 5 boxes of Alka-Seltzer tablets.
5. A bag of plastic spoons (you need 10 specifically).
6. Colored Poster Paper
7. Scissors, (1 pair for each student, or you could have them share).
8. 1 roll of duct tape.
9. Markers, color pencils, or crayons to decorate the rocket.
10. Car towels (to clean up Alka-Seltzer and water)

Setup:
Separate students into 5 groups of 4.
Each student will need:
1. A student worksheet
2. A pencil or a marker
Each group will need:
1. 1 shoebox sized plastic storage container
2. 1 plastic cup filled with water
3. 1 plastic cup for waste liquids
4. 1 plastic spoon
5. 4 film canisters
6. 4 half sheets of poster paper with stenciled circles on them. Make stencils using the inside
of a duct tape roll to draw a circle. You can trace an individual circle onto each of the
students half-sheets of paper.
7. A set of markers, color pencils, or crayons
8. 4 pairs of scissors
9. Small, thin strips of duct tape on the edge of the table. About 5 strips for each student.

In Class Demo:
Using a large plastic storage bag with some water in it, add four tablets of Alka-Seltzer. Seal the
bag and show the kids that it inflates and explain that the Alka-Seltzer reacts with the water to
form carbon dioxide gas in the bag. The gas is trapped when you seal the bag, and the bag
inflates. This is the same thing that happens inside the canister when you add the Alka-Seltzer to
water. Soon so much pressure builds up that the gas pops the lid right off of the canister so it can
escape.
*This can also be demonstrated with a water bottle and a balloon. Fill the water bottle 1/3 of the
way full with water; add 4 tablets of Alka-Seltzer, and then seal/pull the balloon over the mouth
so the balloon catches the gas. The balloon will inflate, and maybe even pop because of the
pressure fro the gas that is building up.

Version appropriate for 3-4th graders:

Use first page of the student guide as a cover, and the procedure on the last page of the student
guide as the worksheet for your students. Use the in class demo to determine the best rocket

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fuel. Have the students make the rockets first, and then perform the in-class demonstration to
figure out which combination of water and Alka-Seltzer will make the best rocket fuel.

Time allotment: 40 minutes *including in-class demo

In Class Demo/Experiment:
● You can vary the amounts of Alka-Seltzer added to the rocket with a standard amount of
water. (ex. a quarter of a tablet, a half of a tablet, and a whole tablet in a tablespoon of
water.)
● Vary the amount of water and use a standard amount of Alka-Seltzer. (Ex. One teaspoon
of water, two teaspoons of water, a tablespoon of water.)
● Have kids guess the best combination of the two, then show them which ones work the
best using the procedure below:

⇒ Use 3 canisters, one a quarter full with water, one half full with water, and one three
quarters full of water.
⇒ Add a third of a tablet to each canister and quickly put on the caps and set them on their
lids. If you don’t want them to fly everywhere, cover them quickly with a plastic bin. See
which one explodes first.
⇒ Use the amount of water that exploded first, and vary the amount of Alka-Seltzer; add to
one canister a third of a tablet, another add two thirds, and the third add a whole tablet.
Cover the canisters with a plastic bin after you’ve added the Alka-Seltzer.
⇒ See which one pops first.
This will determine the best combination of water and Alka-Seltzer.
*The experiment for 5th-6th graders turns the class demo into a full-blown experiment. You can
either split this experiment into a two day lesson, (day one can be determining rocket
fuel, and day two can be making rockets), or use the two lessons in one and have a long
lesson that will take more time (about 60 minutes).

Procedure:
Please see the attached student handout for the directions and the procedure for the experiments
and the rockets.
Tips:
● You may need to demonstrate how to attach the cone and fins to the film canister. The
cone covers the flat part of the canister (the side that is not covered by the lid). The fins
go on opposite sides of the body of the canister, and are taped so the pointy ends are
facing out, like a rocket.
*Make sure kids do not tape the lid to the film canister; the lid needs to be free so that the rocket
will fly.
You can write the student’s names/have the students write their names on their rockets with
permanent marker.
● To set off the rocket, open the canister and add water to it. Add a piece of an Alka-
Seltzer tablet and quickly put on the cap so little to no gas escapes. Put the rocket on the
floor against the wall with the lid as close to the wall as it can be. Make sure a path for
the rocket is clear. The pressure from the carbon dioxide gas being formed will build up
and blow the cap off the canister, propelling the rocket forward.

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 ● Set off the rockets with the ends facing a wall, one at a time, and then measure how far
they go with a meter stick. The rocket that goes the farthest distance wins.

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