Well, here it is! My attempt at a lava lamp!
So, I've added water, vegetable oil, and food coloring to a container. I do want to say, however, that if you're after the "full experience" of having a lava lamp, I suggest you try a larger container and putting a bright light source either above or under the container. I was only after capturing the general chemical reaction that takes place, which is why I utilized a smaller container.
The science is basically the same as in the last post:
Once in the container, water will sink to the bottom and push oil to the top because water (in terms of density) is heavier than the veggie oil. They do NOT mix. Agitating the mixture at this point may break up the oil into droplets, which will eventually reform into the oil (top) layer.
In water, Alka-Seltzer tablets (specifically, sodium bicarbonate and citric acid) will react and form sodium citrate, water, and carbon dioxide gas. The bubbles produced may take water molecules/food coloring bubbles up when they rise through the oil, but when they pop at the surface said water molecules/food coloring bubbles will sink back down once more.
You can cap the container after the CO2 gas leaves, and then store for later use. (:
And there you have it! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message. And again, thanks for reading and watching. :)
- Christian Gunder
Tags: Chemistry, Science, Low-light Photography, , Experiment
