I haven’t chuckled this hard at an acid base reaction example well…ever! Fizzing Hands is the most fun you’ll ever have watching the classic baking soda and vinegar reaction in action!
This post is sponsored by Arm & Hammer. All opinions are my own.
Today we are taking the classic volcano reaction that you have seen at every science fair and turning it on it’s head…I mean hand.
Fizzing Hands is the third science experiment at Arm & Hammer Summer Camp, a fantastic summer resource that I’ve enjoyed being the science counselor for!
Acid Base Reaction Example: Fizzing Hands
NOTE: Adult supervision recommended
Downloadable directions here
Materials
- Wide Mouth Jar
- 3 Tablespoons ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
- 3/4 cup vinegar
- Liquid dish soap
- Vinyl, rubber, or plastic glove
- Food coloring
- Spoon
- Paper Clip
- Rubber Bands
- Baking Sheet or Tray
- Safety glasses or goggles
Instructions
Time needed: 25 minutes.
- Add ingredients to jar
Place a jar on a baking sheet or tray. Add 1 cup of vinegar, a good squeeze of dish soap, and a few drops of food coloring to the jar. Stir with a spoon or swish to combine the ingredients. Set aside.
- Poke holes in glove
(Adults only) Use the pointed end of a paper clip to poke a hole in each of the glove’s fingertips.
- Add baking soda to glove
Add 3 Tablespoons ARM & HAMMER baking soda to glove, shaking it to the fingertips.
- Secure glove to jar
Place the open end of the glove over the top of the jar. Be careful NOT to spill any baking soda into the jar. Place rubber bands around the base of the glove to secure it in place around the jar.
- Go outside!
Take the tray and jar/glove outside.
- Start the reaction
Gently tip the glove up to empty the baking soda into the jar. Swirl everything around and then stand back! The reaction will foam and spray out of the fingertips!
Variations:
- If you don’t have a glove available, swap out the wide mouthed jar for a water bottle and balloon for the glove.
- Add food a few drops of food coloring into the fingertips of the glove after you add the baking soda. You’ll end up with rainbow hands!
The science behind this acid base reaction example
Yesterday we did another acid base reaction and talked about the following: Baking soda is a chemical compound known as a base. It’s actually called sodium bicarbonate. Bases are substances that release hydroxide ions when added to water. Other common base examples are soap and egg whites.
Acids are substances containing high concentrations of hydrogen ions. Vinegar is a common acid. Other ones you probably know are citrus juices and coffee.
Acids and bases are measured on what scientists call the ph scale. This is a scale that measures how acidic or basic a substance is. The ph scale goes from 1 to 14, 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most basic with 7 being neutral.
When an acid and base are combined a chemical reaction occurs. In the case of this experiment two chemical reactions actually occur. The first reaction between the vinegar and baking soda produces carbonic acid and sodium acetate. After the carbonic acid forms, a second chemical reaction occurs in which the carbonic acid starts to decompose into water and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a gas. You can’t see it but you can trap it in the glove and watch as the glove inflates! Adding the soap to the mixture slows the entire chemical reaction down and makes it extra foamy.
Conclusion
This acid base reaction example is one that I cannot wait to share with my students in real life camp next summer and I know that your kids are going to love it! This is another acid base reaction from ARM & HAMMER that I want to try! If you missed the first two projects go here:
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