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©DPScience
Water and Oil
Lava Lamp

©DPScience
A Lava Lamp with Effervescent Tablets
Summary: Add a small amount of water (an inch deep) into
a tall, clear, plastic soda bottle. Add food coloring to the water
and fill the rest of the bottle with oil. Since this activity uses a
lot of oil, use the cheapest vegetable oil you can find. Break an
effervescent tablet into smaller pieces and drop a piece into the
bottle. Guide students to watch what happens when the tablet
sinks through the oil and then comes into contact with the water.

Materials
Soda bottle food coloring
inexpensive vegetable oil effervescent tablet
water

The tablet produces lots of bubbles that float upward through

the oil. The bubbles actually have blobs of colored water in
them. When the bubbles reach the top, they pop and the water
that was inside goes back down! Keep adding tablets to keep
the action going in the bottle. If the room is darkened and a
flashlight is placed behind the bottle, the effect is illuminated.

The bottles can be capped, stored indefinitely, and used again

whenever the desire strikes—simply add more tablets. Do not
allow young children to handle the bottle when opened because
a bottle of spilt oil is a real mess.

Temperature: The reaction can be significantly slowed by placing the bottle

in a container of ice water. As long as the water layer at the bottom is cooled,
the reaction between the effervescent tablet and water will be noticeably
slower and the “lava lamp” effect will last much longer.

©DPScience