The Baking Soda Balloon Blow-Up

Experiment

BY GROUP B
Materials Needed:

An empty water bottle

A medium or large balloon
A funnel
Vinegar
Baking soda
PROCEDURE:
 Fill a water bottle one-third full of vinegar.
 Put a funnel in the neck of a balloon, and hold onto the balloon neck
and funnel. Then pour in enough baking soda to fill the balloon
halfway.
 Slide the funnel out of the balloon and hold the portion of the balloon
with the baking soda in it down and to the side. Stretch the neck of the
balloon over the neck of the water bottle securely. Be careful not to let
any of the baking soda fall into the bottle!
 Then slowly hold the balloon over the water bottle to let the baking
soda pour inside.
 Continue to hold tight to the neck of the balloon, but move to the side
listen and watch the bottle carefully. You should hear fizzing and
crackling noises as the baking soda and vinegar solution activates. The
balloon should begin to inflate.
WHAT’S GOING ON?
When baking soda and vinegar are combined, the
acetic acid in the vinegar breaks down the BAKING
SODA (calcium carbonate) into the basics of its
chemical composition. The carbon combines with the
oxygen in the bottle to create carbon dioxide gas. The
gas rises, can’t escape from the bottle and goes into the
balloon to blow it up.