Explosive Elephant Toothpaste

Easy

In this fun experiment, you'll make a giant tube of foam that rushes out of a bottle, just like squeezing toothpaste from a tube. The foam is filled with oxygen and created through an exothermic reaction, which means heat is created during the reaction!

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that by mixing hydrogen peroxide, yeast, and dish soap together, a reaction will occur that produces a lot of foam.

Method & Materials

You will mix hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and food coloring in a bottle, then add yeast mixed with warm water to the bottle. This will cause the foam to overflow out of the bottle!

You will need a clean 16-oz plastic soda bottle, hydrogen peroxide, yeast, dishwashing soap, food coloring, warm water, gloves, safety goggles, and a tray or washable surface to do this experiment on.

Results

This experiment showed that mixing the hydrogen peroxide, yeast and dish soap together can cause a fun and exciting reaction. The ingredients by themselves don't create large amounts of foam, but only when they're mixed together. The heat is generated because of an exothermic reaction, which is caused by the catalase enzyme in yeast breaking down the hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. The foam is caused by the soap trapping the oxygen gas.

Why do this project?

The Elephant Toothpaste experiment is not only visually impressive but also a great way to explore chemistry. With simple ingredients, you can witness a powerful chemical reaction that teaches you about catalysts and exothermic reactions.

Also Consider

Use different colors of food coloring to see how they mix and create new colors in the foam. Vary the amount of hydrogen peroxide and yeast to see how it affects the size and duration of the foam eruption. Use different types of soap and detergents to see if they affect the foam's texture. Use bottles with different-sized openings to create even more gigantic 'Dinosaur Toothpaste' eruptions or tiny 'Mouse Toothpaste' eruptions!