The Exploding Lunchbag is a super simple and super fun experiment to do with lots of fizzing and popping! Things can get messy so this is one for outdoors, but if that’s not possible the kitchen sink or bath will do.

You will need:The Exploding Lunchbag

1 x Zip up lunch or freezer bag 1/2 Cup of vinegar 1/4 Cup of warm water 1 x Tissue 3 teaspoons of baking powder    

The Exploding Lunchbag

 Method:

  •  Scoop 3tsp of baking powder onto the centre of the tissue and then fold   the tissue over to make a small parcel.
  • Pour all the vinegar and all the warm water into the lunch bag. Then zip the bag up leaving a big enough gap to fit the tissue in.
  • Put the tissue into the mixture, quickly zip the bag up and let the fizzing begin!
  • Stand back and wait for the POP!
  The Exploding Lunchbag  

The science bit…

So, what causes all that fizzing and popping? Mixing the vinegar, the baking powder and the warm water together creates a chemical reaction (fizzzzz) which produces a gas called carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide takes up a lot of space and the bag begins to expand almost like a balloon being filled with air. If the bag is not big enough? Well, that is your pop!!

 

Experiment even more…

You may find that on your first go you get a whole lot of fizzing and not a lot of popping. If this is the case try changing the amount of vinegar, water and baking soda. By altering these ingredients you are likely to see a different result. What happens if you use more tissue or no tissue at all? Record all your findings to see if you can work out what creates more of a fizz and more of a pop.

   

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