How does it work?

The lava lamp experiment is sure to WOW your kids, and maybe even yourself? To begin this experiment you will need:

• Olive oil (Or another oil substitute)
• Water
• Food coloring
• Alka seltzer tablets
• Empty soda container (1L)

To begin, place the olive oil into the empty soda container about 1/2 the way up the bottle. Next, add approximately 1 cup of water into the container that already has olive oil. Wait until you can see that the water has settled below the olive oil. The water sits at the bottom of the bottle because water has a higher density than olive oil. The density of water is 1 kg/L, and the density of olive oil is 0.92 kg/L. Next, add food coloring of your choice. We recommend red because it looks the most like real lava! The food coloring will slowly fall to the bottom of the container until it reaches the water. If the food coloring stops moving downwards, give a light shake until it reaches the bottom. From there, continue to lightly shake until the food coloring has mixed with the water. Food coloring is hydrophilic, also known as water-loving, and so it won't dissolve in the oil but it will dissolve in the water. Next, add an Alka-Seltzer tablet. It will quickly fall to the bottom and begin to react with the water. The reaction with water will produce carbon dioxide gas that will attach to colored water and bring it to the top of the bottle. Once the gas bubble pops, the dense liquid water will fall back down until it reaches the bottom of the container. The food coloring is meant to show this chemistry happening in real-time and doesn't actually react with the Alka-Seltzer tablet or water. This experiment can also be performed with glitter in addition to the food coloring to add more of a colorful effect!