Hot Science: Erupting Volcanoes

What you need:

• - 590 ml pop bottle
• - Baking pan
• - 6 cups dirt
• - 1 tablespoon baking soda
• - 1 cup vinegar
• - Red food coloring

Steps:

1. Remove the cap from the empty pop bottle and put it in the middle of the baking pan.
2. Put dirt around the bottle to form a mountain. Tip: Add a bit of water so the dirt sticks together but don’t cover the mouth of the bottle while you’re doing this.
3. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the vinegar so it becomes a red, lava-like mixture.
4. Pour the baking soda into the bottle, then pour the red liquid in and watch what happens! Red foam will spray out of the bottle and down the mountain of dirt, simulating a volcano eruption!

Explanation:

The baking soda reacts with the vinegar and produces a gas called carbon dioxide. This gas builds up pressure and forces the liquid out of the top.