Have you ever wondered why baking powder is used in cake batter? Baking powder makes the cake batter fluffy and soft during baking. This is because it releases a gas during baking: carbon dioxide. The experiment shows you how violent the reaction of baking powder with a liquid can be. It works especially well with an acid such as vinegar. See for yourself!
Artificial lava – how does it work?
You will need
- 3 packets of baking powder
- Half a drinking glass full of vinegar
- Water
- Scissors
- 3 glasses
- Plate
- Aluminum foil
- Adhesive tape
- Large waterproof base, e.g., a tray
- (Food coloring)
Let’s get started!
1. Set-up
Place the plate on the waterproof base. Attach a large glass to it with adhesive tape. Place two sheets of aluminum foil over the plate and the glass. Tape the aluminum foil to the underside of the plate.
2. Prepare the “crater”
In the center of the glass opening, cut a small hole in the aluminum foil with the scissors. Cut a cross from there to the inside wall of the glass. Fold the four corners of the aluminum foil inward and tape them to the inside of the glass.
3. Fill with chemicals
Add the baking powder to the large glass. Fill a second glass halfway with vinegar and dilute it with water so that the glass is almost full at the end. Now you can color the vinegar-water mixture with red food coloring, if you have some. Then carefully pour the mixture into the large glass wrapped in aluminum foil that contains the baking powder.
4. Observe
What happens in the “volcano”?
The liquid reacts very quickly with the baking powder. The substances contained in the baking powder release the gas carbon dioxide. The mixture starts to bubble violently and swells out of the glass as foam.
