HOW TO MAKE A HEAVY BALLOON

We all know that balloons, when inflated with helium, float because helium is lighter than air. But have you ever thought about blowing up a heavy balloon that will be heavier than air? When you fill a balloon with carbon dioxide, you can do just that. INTRODUCTION

Vinegar and baking soda combine to make carbon dioxide. Vinegar is a liquid made up of acetic acid and water. Baking soda is a white powdery substance and a chemical salt also known as a base. When a base (baking soda) and an acid (vinegar) react, it creates carbon dioxide. BACKGROUND

We think that the balloon we filled with carbon dioxide will be heavier than the balloon we filled with air. When both balloons are dropped from a height of about six feet, the carbon dioxide balloon will drop faster because of its weight. HYPOTHESIS

MATERIALS This experiment requires basic materials. We need a one small funnel, two balloons, one empty 20 ounce bottle, vinegar, and baking soda. You can find all these items at your local super market.

PROCEDURE S The first step to this experiment is to put three tsp. of baking soda in an empty 20 oz. bottle, then using a funnel, fill a balloon with vinegar till it is nearly full. Next stretch the opening of the balloon over the bottles opening, then let the vinegar escape into the bottle. When the balloon starts to expand take it off and tie it. Blow up another balloon the same size using your air then drop the two balloons from the same height.

Baking soda and vinegar react, creating a chemical reaction which can expand and overflow. To be safe you should wear safety goggles and put newspaper down at your work space, because this experiment can be messy. SAFETY

OBSERVATION As we did our experiment we noticed that when the vinegar started to mix with the baking soda, the sound it made sounded like “fizz”. It also looked liked a sprite juice. The balloon filled up fast, but only to a small size. It smelt like vinegar. When we dropped the two balloons the CO2 filled balloon would always be the first one to hit the ground. It even felt heavy too!

EXPLANATION The reason why this balloon is heavier is because the baking soda and vinegar react to form carbon dioxide gas, which will fill the balloon. Carbon dioxide weighs three times more than air so the CO 2 -filled balloon will fall much faster that the air-filled balloon. The chemical equation for this experiment is HC 2 HO 2 +NaHCO 3 NaC 2 H 3 O 2 +H 2 O+CO 2 vinegar baking soda sodium acetate water carbon dioxide

CONCLUSION In conclusion, we hope you learned something new about what happens when baking soda and vinegar is combined to form carbon dioxide. This experiment is very easy and we encourage that you try this too. Thank you!