Table of Contents
What does yeast do in elephant toothpaste?
The Science: The yeast contains an enzyme called Catalase that breaks down hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into oxygen gas and water. The oxygen gas gets trapped by the soap, and you get a large foamy solution that squirts out of the top of the bottle!
How does the elephant toothpaste experiment work?
The oxygen gas forms bubbles. These bubbles would usually escape from the liquid and pop quickly. But adding a little dish soap provides additional surface tension, allowing the bubbles to get trapped and creating lots of foam. This foam looks like a giant squeeze of toothpaste—almost big enough for an elephant!
How do you make exploding foam without yeast?
Pour 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide solution, 1/4 cup dishwashing soap, and a few drops of food coloring into the bottle. Swish the bottle around to mix the ingredients. Set the bottle in a sink or outdoors or some other place where you won’t mind getting wet foam everywhere.
How is the experiment improved by removing the foam that forms from the yeast reacting with the hydrogen peroxide?
The foam you made is special because each tiny foam bubble is filled with oxygen. The yeast acted as a catalyst (a helper) to remove the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. Your experiment created a reaction called an Exothermic Reaction – that means it not only created foam, it created heat!
What is Devil’s toothpaste?
What is devil toothpaste? Elephant toothpaste is like the baby version of devil toothpaste because they both have the same foamy look. However, devil toothpaste is a mass explosion that requires a catalyst like potassium iodide or yeast, hydrogen peroxide, and soap to get started. This makes the reaction colossal.
How do you make a foam science experiment?
You only need a few materials to make a foam volcano.
- 1/2 cup of liquid hydrogen peroxide.
- 10 drops of liquid food coloring.
- 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap.
- 1 packet of dry yeast.
- A 16-ounce plastic soda or water bottle OR a bucket that size.
- A small cup to hold your yeast and at least 3 tablespoons of warm water.
What happens when you mix dish soap and hydrogen peroxide?
The de-griming magic you’re looking for happens when you combine it with soap. “When you add peroxide to dish soap, it breaks down into oxygen and water. The soapy water then traps that oxygen, creating bubbles, making your dish soap extra foamy.”
What does peroxide do to yeast?
When yeast was added to hydrogen peroxide, a chemical in the yeast causes a reaction in which the hydrogen peroxide breaks apart to form oxygen gas and water. The oxygen was in the bubbles you saw. This reaction causes the temperature to go up.
What is the purpose of hydrogen peroxide experiment?
The purpose of this experiment is to show how a result can vary based on the surface area of a given object. When a potato is cut into multiple pieces, it has more surface area, so the peroxide and potato combination will result in a more significant production of oxygen.
Is Elephant toothpaste safe to touch?
It is safe to touch because all that foam is just soap, water and oxygen. Let your kids have some fun with the foam too. Just be sure to have a towel handy!
How hot is elephant’s toothpaste?
The resulting explosion of food coloring and foam is more impressive than any special effect from a Hollywood movie. Warning: The chemical reactions in this video are highly exothermic, causing the foam to reach temperatures of 200 °F and higher.