17 April 2012
Posted in
Science Park
Supplies you will need
- Water
- 1 clear plastic bottle
- Vegetable oil
- Food coloring
- Alka-Seltzer or any sort of tables that fizz
Directions
- Fill the clear plastic bottle one quarter of the way full with water
- Fill the bottle with vegetable oil until it is nearly full
- Wait for the oil and the water to separate
- Add about twelve drops of your favorite color food coloring into the bottle
- The food coloring will fall through the oil, drop to the bottom and mix with the water
- Break the Alka-Seltzer tablet into four small pieces
- Add the first piece of Alka-Seltzer to the water and watch the lava begin!
- Once the bubbling stops add more Alka-Seltzer to continue to fun
The science behind the experiment
The oil and water separate because the density of each liquid is different. The oil floats to the top because it has a lower density than water and food coloring do.
The Alka-Seltzer tablets that are dropped in the bottle release small bubbles of carbon dioxide. The bubbles then rise to the top with the water and food coloring. Once the gas escapes, the water goes back to the bottom.
