We are going to be visiting Clark Planetarium for regular segments showing some of the cool things happening there.
In our very first segment, Budah stopped by to learn how to make Elephant Toothpaste.
Cynthia Checketts told us that hydrogen peroxide (H202) has a chemical tendency to break down into water and oxygen gas.
If you add soap to peroxide, it'll create bubbles as the oxygen escapes.
Although this is naturally occurring, it takes a really long time. Adding yeast will speed up the reaction (yeast is a catalyst) and create a sudden mountain of foam as the hydrogen peroxide is broken down quickly into lots of little bubbles.
The "toothpaste" container will feel warm because the reaction is exergonic.
Be sure to visit clarkplanetarium.org to find a lot of other cool things happening, including when the Perseverance Rover lands on Mars on February 18, 2021!
