Materials

• Balloon

• Recycled bottle

• 2 small funnels (or you can roll paper into a funnel shape) 

• 2 - 4 tsp baking soda

• ⅓ - 1 cup vinegar (use less baking soda & vinegar for a small balloon, more for a large balloon)

Instructions

Scroll down to watch video instructions here (time 2:51).

1. Use a funnel to pour the vinegar into your bottle. 

2. Then put another funnel into the mouth of the balloon. 

Important: we recommend using two different funnels. One funnel for filling the bottle with vinegar & one for the balloon (so the chemical reaction doesn’t start before you’re ready). However, you can do the experiment with only one funnel. Just make sure you completely wash and dry the funnel after the vinegar and before you put it into the balloon. 

3. Scoop baking soda into the funnel so it falls into the bottom of the balloon. When finished, carefully remove the balloon from the funnel.

4. Next, put the mouth of the balloon securely over the entire mouth of the bottle. Take your time to prevent any of the baking soda from falling out of the balloon into the bottom of the bottle.

5. Hold onto the bottle with one hand. With the other hand, lift the end of the balloon and shake the baking soda into the bottle.

6. Enjoy the chemical reaction!

cool fact

The baking soda and the vinegar create an acid-base reaction and the two chemicals work together to create a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2).

Gas particles move at high speeds in all directions, so they expand fast! When CO2 fills the bottle, it has nowhere else to go -- so it begins to fill the balloon. The more gas that is created, the larger the balloon will inflate!

Bonus cool fact: CO2 in solid form is dry ice.