SODA POPPERS

11/24/09

Yellow

 

Baking Soda Poppers

 

     One day I walked into science class and was greeted by a lab. We were supposed to use anything on our lab table, including a test tube, graduated cylinders, baking soda, and vinegar, to get the cork to hit the window using a chemical reaction. We could also get 10 extra credit points by hitting the window 3 times in a row. My assigned group at Table 6 was Joey Grzelak, Robert Schenker, Nikki Cavott, and myself. We knew that baking soda and vinegar created carbon dioxide. We also knew that the more carbon dioxide was created, the more pressure would build up in the test tube, and that pressure would force the cork to pop and fly farther. What we didn’t know was if a mix of more vinegar to baking soda or if more baking soda to vinegar created more carbon dioxide. Our thinking process was to first do a control test, with equal amounts of baking soda and vinegar. Next we were to do a test with less baking soda and more vinegar, then an experiment with more baking soda and less vinegar to see which helped create more gases. We also planned to jam the cork in so that none of the gas could leak out of the test tube before the cork launched.

     During the first three 2 experiments, Joey was holding the test tube. Both times, he could not get his hand away fast enough and the cork hit his thumb, making the cork travel a smaller distance. Therefore, for the third experiment we had Nikki hold the test tube. She was able to get her hand away fast enough so that the cork could fly freely without any interference. We ran several more experiments, changing the amounts and recording the data. By the sixth experiment, we had found the formula: 18 mL of baking soda and 12 mL of vinegar. The fact that I was now the one holding the test tube may have helped the experiment. The cork reached the window (or the windowsill and wall) a total of 6 times. On trials 6 and 7, we hit the window twice in a row. However, on the third try my aim was off and the cork missed and hit the window. This was a major roadblock for us. No matter what, the aim of the test tube was always a little different, so even if we had the right combination of baking soda and vinegar, the cork would still miss the window. We hit the window several times after that, but never reached the three in a row goal.