Name: Date:

CLOUD IN A BOTTLE
Molecules of water vapor will bounce around like molecules of other gases unless you give
them a reason to stick together. Cooling the vapor slows the molecules down, so they have less
kinetic energy and more time to interact with each other. How do you cool the vapor? When
you squeeze the bottle, you compress the gas and increase its temperature. Releasing the
container lets the gas expand, which causes its temperature to go down. Real clouds form as
warm air rises. As air gets higher, its pressure is reduced. The air expands, which causes it to
cool. As it cools below the dew point, water vapor forms the droplets we see as clouds. Smoke
acts the same in the atmosphere as it does in the bottle. Other nucleation particles include
dust, pollution, dirt, and even bacteria. In this demonstration, you will make a cloud appear in a
bottle.
MATERIALS
• 1.5L empty bottle with cap
• 70% Isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol
• Bicycle or balloon pump with needle
• Cork

PROCEDURE
1. Pour just enough (approximately 30 to 50mL) 70% isopropyl alcohol in the bottle and
cover with cap the container. Swirl the alcohol around inside the bottle. Make sure it
coats the lower sides of the bottle.
2. From the bottom of the stopper/cap, drill a hole through the center of the stopper/cap
that’s a little smaller than the inflation tube/needle. The tube/needle should slide easily
through the stopper/cap from the top to the bottom but still be tight enough to seal the
air inside the bottle. The tip of the tube goes inside the bottle and the pump connection
goes outside. Attach the pump to the inflation tube.
3. Insert the stopper into the bottle and pump eight to ten times. As you start to pump,
you’ll notice that the stopper wants to pop out. Hold it tightly in the bottle opening.
4. When you’re ready, quickly remove the stopper and watch the cloud form almost
instantly in the bottle. If the cloud is faint or just a small puff of one, you’ll need to add
more pressure in the bottle before you pop the stopper.
QUESTIONS: (20pts each)
1. Describe what you see in the bottle when you loosen the cap.
When I loosen the cap, the cloud immediately formed inside the bottle. Then, I
tried to squeeze the bottle to clearly see the cloud as it goes outside the bottle. I also
tried to repeat the procedure —pump air into the bottle, I notice that the cloud that
formed earlier disappeared. When I release the pressure the cloud formed again.
Amazing! I also noticed that the more air or pressure is pumped into the bottle, the
more cloud will form when pressure is released.

2. Why does rubbing alcohol make a cloud in a bottle?

When I pump air into the plastic bottle, the pressure inside rises, causes the
temperature within the bottle rises as well. When I quickly remove the stoppper, the
pressure drops, lowering the temperature inside the bottle. Then, the rubbing alcohol
and molecules in the bottle condense and cling together as the temperature drops
rapidly, forming very tiny alcohol droplets inside the bottle. When billions of these
droplets come together, they become a visible cloud. That’s why and how rubbing
alcohol make a cloud in a bottle.

3. What was the purpose of the smoke?

Do you mean the purpose of the cloud? The cloud inside the bottle helps us figure
out how they form outside in the sky. It teaches us about how high and low pressure
influence our weather everyday. When the air pressure drops, the air rises and cools
rapidly, which allows the water vapor to cool and condense into tiny water droplets that
create clouds, just like this experiment. However, if you really mean what was the
purpose of smoke, as some experiments add smoke particles to the bottle, its purpose
was to make it easier for a cloud to form and easier to see. The smoke particles allows
the alcohol molecules to condense and stick together around the smoke, forming a
cloud in the bottle.

MAKE A VIDEO OF YOUR EXPERIMENT FOR DOCUMENTATION (20pts)