Thursday, January 9, 2014

Dry Ice #9: Bubble Volcano


This is the ninth segment in a series on dry ice experiments. CLICK HERE FOR SAFETY INFORMATION.

The other experiments were fun, but this one was by far the favorite! We made HUGE bubbles of mist that would then pop and shower and the table in clouds of vapor.

Combine in a small bowl or jar: 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup dish soap, and 1/4 cup glycerine (this can be petrol or vegetable based). This solution lasted us the entire day, and we did this experiment a LOT because it was so cool.

Place a sizeable chunk (at least 3-4 inches) in a large bowl. I used my baking bowl which is approximately
14" across. Pour warm water over the top. I did not measure how much water I used, I simply poured it from a pitcher until the mist was copious.

Dip a strip of cloth about 2 inches wide by the width of the bowl plus 8 inches long into the glycerine solution. Saturate it. Don't let it waste solution, but it should be slightly drippy.

Hold the strip taut and run it over the edge of the bowl. A bubble layer will form over the mouth of the bowl and begin to fill with mist. When the bubble layer reaches it limit, it will erupt with mist. It's very impressive to watch!







2 comments:

  1. My kids LOVED watching that with me! (And I made a sling out of that fabric you used, LOL!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad! The fabric belonged to the hostess; she's VERY crafty!

      We also took the dry ice outside and put it in a large container, like a kiddie pool. The glycerine solution can even cover something that large. It was really amazing!

      Delete

ShareThis