Elephant Toothpaste Research Paper

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Elephant Toothpaste
Teacher’s Instructions

Teaching objectives:
• Students will observe several examples of chemical and physical reactions
• Students will carry out the decomposition reaction of hydrogen peroxide
• Students will describe and illustrate the changes of the hydrogen peroxide chemical reaction

Recommended Grades: K-5
Estimated Time: about an hour

Key concepts and terms:

Reaction: a transformation or change

Chemical Reaction: a process in which one substance is converted into a new substance with new properties

Physical Reaction: a process in which a substance changes in size, shape or color but does not change in composition.

Catalyst: A substance that alters the speed of a chemical reaction

Procedure:
1. Over all tables, drape trash can bags to try and prevent excess mess. At each student’s seat, place a cake pan or plastic bin, an empty soda bottle with its cap, a closed container with ½ cup hydrogen peroxide, a container with 1 tsp dry active …show more content…

Ask students to talk about what they see as it’s happening. What does the foam feel like? Is there anything left in the bottle?
12. Get students to participate in clean up activities, then have an assistant continue to clean up while you move students to new tables or to a sit-down area on the floor.
13. Time permitting, have students draw a sketch of the “Elephant Toothpaste.” Ask them what they thought happened. Do they think it was a chemical or a physical reaction? Hand out the Elephant Toothpaste recipes so they can try the experiment at home with their families.

Why it works:
Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizing agent. Over time, it is converted to water and oxygen in a decomposition reaction according to the following formula:
2 H2O2 --> 2 H2O + O2

However, this reaction goes very slowly. It is, however, favorable, and is exothermic: it releases some heat as it takes place. Reactions can speed up by adding heat, adding more reaction materials, or adding a catalyst. In the case

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