FILM TITLE: Global Ideas: What is Your Personal CO2 Balance?
ACTIVITY TITLE: CO2 inside you!
Type of Activity: Demonstration, Hands-on Experiment, Hands-on Activity,
Experiment, Group, Individual.
Age Group Orientation: All ages
Number of Participants: 100
Subject: CO2 production and acidity.
Materials: Bromothymol blue, 2 conical flasks, straws, water, baking soda,
vinegar, balloons, graduated cylinders, canisters, litmus paper, droppers, plastic
teaspoon, small funnel.
Procedure:
For carbon dioxide balloons and vinegar rockets:
1) Measure 20 ml of vinegar into a measuring cylinder.
2) Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda into the balloon and tightly surround the
mouth of it onto the cylinder’s opening.
3) Empty the contents of the balloon in to the measure cylinder. The balloon
will inflate with carbon dioxide. Observe the bubbles in the cylinder.
4) Using a dropper, measure 3 ml of vinegar into the canister.
5) Add one teaspoon of baking soda into the canister’s lid then quickly close it
tightly and place it upside down. The canister should fly.
For Bromothymol blue:
1) Pour 300 ml of water into two conical flasks.
2) Add 10 drops of Bromothymol blue into both of them.
3) Choose either conical flasks and place a new clean straw. Start
blowing into it. Watch the color change from blue to green to yellow
as you blow more carbon dioxide inside.
Explanation:
The reaction between vinegar and baking soda results in the production of
carbon dioxide gas which is the same gas we exhale. We cannot see CO2
when exhaled but we can see it fill in the balloon as it inflates.
In the vinegar rockets, the same reaction occurs once the canister is tightly
sealed but due to pressure, CO2 escapes through a mini explosion.
As for Bromothymol blue which is an indicator for the presence of CO2, it
changes its color from dark blue to green as you exhale the gas from your
lungs into the flask, making it even go yellow if the concentration of CO2
increases.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Activity Time: 30 minutes
Further Information / Source: None
Activity suggested by: Children’s Museum Jordan