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Pop Rocks Balloons

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I’ve wanted to try this one for awhile 🙂 It looked so cool and so simple with no mess. I’m all for that!

poprocks 14

The process is simple, fill a balloon with Pop Rocks (a funnel works perfect for this), Secure the end of the balloon to the open bottle mouth, without letting the Pop Rocks fall in. Once you have all your bottles ready, go ahead and lift the balloon and watch to see the balloon inflate.

My kids wrote down their hypothesis about which soda would inflate the balloon the most. I had picked diet coke, but was surprised to see that the regular coke performed much better. The worst performer was the 7up.

poprocks collage
poprocks 15
I had to share this silly pic of my kids photo bombing me lol!

Science behind it:

Pop Rocks candy pops because it’s comprised of pressurized carbon dioxide gas. Each of the candy rocks contains a small amount of the gas. The carbon dioxide bubbles make the popping sound you hear when they burst free from their candy shells.

Why does the balloon inflate? The carbon dioxide in the candy isn’t enough on it’s own to cause any inflation of the balloon. That’s why we introduce the soda. The soda also contains pressurized carbon dioxide gas, that’s what is responsible for the carbonation in soda.  When the Pop Rocks are dropped into the soda, some carbon dioxide is able to escape and, because the carbon dioxide gas has no where to go in the bottle, it rises into the balloon.

This is a great experiment to teach kids about chemical reactions, and gasses. We had a great time with this one. Definitely worth trying!

Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest to see what we are going to do next!

– See more at: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/poprocks#sthash.TXJMMF1W.dpuf
The secret behind the famous “popping” of Pop Rocks candy is pressurized carbon dioxide gas. Each of the tiny little candy pebbles contains a small amount of the gas. These tiny carbon dioxide bubbles make the popping sound you hear when they burst free from their candy shells. Need more proof? Try finding a relatively large Pop Rock and using a spoon to break it against a hard surface. Once you achieve enough pressure, you should hear a similar “pop” to the sound you hear with a Pop Rock on your tongue.
So what causes the balloon to inflate? The carbon dioxide contained in the candy isn’t enough to cause even the small amount of inflation you observe in the experiment. That’s where the soda comes into play. The soda also contains pressurized carbon dioxide gas (it’s why we call soda a carbonated beverage). When the Pop Rocks are dropped into the soda, some carbon dioxide is able to escape from the high fructose corn syrup of the soda and, because the carbon dioxide gas has no where to go in the bottle, it rises into the balloon.
– See more at: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/poprocks#sthash.TXJMMF1W.dpuf

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Filed Under: Science Projects 29 Comments

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Lovely comments

  1. Ashley S says

    August 22, 2013 at 5:39 pm

    What a fun experiment! Looks like your kids had a blast with it.
    Reply
  2. kareen liez says

    August 22, 2013 at 5:41 pm

    Lol.Looks fun! Your kids sure had a great time!
    Reply
  3. Alix S says

    August 22, 2013 at 5:52 pm

    Fun! I love doing experiments like this!
    Reply
  4. Kim Belcheff says

    August 23, 2013 at 4:17 am

    I am going to try this. thanks for sharing.
    Reply
  5. Serena @ Thrift Diving says

    August 23, 2013 at 5:26 am

    My kids would love this! I am going to try it, too!
    Reply
  6. Casey Lindberg-Coghill says

    September 23, 2013 at 6:08 pm

    This looks like a fun and cheap experiment to do with kids! I love this idea of a Pinterest challenge. I often find myself Pinning fun ideas or recipes and never actually executing them. You've inspired me to go back to my own Pinterest account and actually start trying some of these great ideas!
    Reply
  7. Confessions of a Coupon Queen says

    September 23, 2013 at 6:36 pm

    How fun! My best friend just started homeschooling her boys, and this sounds like a fun science experiment for them!
    Reply
  8. Ronnie E. says

    September 23, 2013 at 7:04 pm

    What happens to the soda after? Is it still drinkable?
    Reply
  9. Jenny S. S. says

    September 23, 2013 at 7:37 pm

    Although I think my son is too young to understand the science behind, I don't doubt that he would absolutely love it if I showed him this trick. Thanks for sharing.
    Reply
  10. Alicia says

    September 23, 2013 at 7:39 pm

    Oh! What a fun experiment to do with your kids! When I was homeschooling, I could have really used this.
    Reply
  11. StacieinAtlanta says

    September 23, 2013 at 7:53 pm

    This is funny! We have done this experiment a few times and my kids always want to do it again!
    Reply
  12. Jessica says

    September 23, 2013 at 8:09 pm

    This looks like so much fun. I think I have some pop rocks I need to try this.
    Reply
  13. Shanna says

    September 23, 2013 at 8:21 pm

    Great idea! My daughter would have fun with this!
    Reply
  14. Beth says

    September 23, 2013 at 9:22 pm

    I love trying out new projects and products from Pinterest! My kids always have fun with it, too.
    Reply
  15. Victoria says

    September 23, 2013 at 9:43 pm

    If my kids were a little older I would try this with them.
    Reply
  16. Jen B says

    September 23, 2013 at 9:48 pm

    This looks like so much fun and something my kids would love to do that is educational too!
    Reply
  17. Tracy - FrugalorFree.com says

    September 23, 2013 at 9:58 pm

    I'm going to have to grab the neighbor kids as an excuse to do this! I love stuff like this and I know they will too!
    Reply
  18. Teresa Britton says

    September 23, 2013 at 10:10 pm

    My boys would love this! Thanks for the idea!
    Reply
  19. Norma Doiron says

    September 23, 2013 at 10:50 pm

    Sounds like a fun experiment to do with the grandkids! I will also share it with my daughter & son-in-law as they are leaders with the scouts and love these type of activities. Thanks for sharing! :)
    Reply
  20. CrazyMom says

    September 24, 2013 at 12:55 am

    HOW cool is that... Pinterest is AMAZING and I bet your are MOM of the year with the kids and the fun science experiment.. LOVE it... and the kids expression is priceless...
    Reply
  21. Karen Hewitt says

    September 24, 2013 at 2:39 am

    This looks like a really cool experiment, I'll have to try this with the kids. They will love it
    Reply
  22. Laurie - Steals and Deals for Kids says

    September 24, 2013 at 2:39 am

    Wow!!! Love this!! What kid wouldn't love trying this out?
    Reply
  23. Malia says

    September 24, 2013 at 3:29 am

    Fun experiment! I'm sure my girls would enjoy this!
    Reply
  24. Anu says

    September 24, 2013 at 4:02 am

    This looks like a fun experiment that will teach some science to the kids. Have to show it to my daughter. She'd love it.
    Reply
  25. Emmy Barnes says

    September 24, 2013 at 5:00 am

    Great way to incorporate learning and fun!
    Reply
  26. Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says

    September 24, 2013 at 6:43 am

    Now that is just fun! I don't even have kids at home and I want to try it myself! Cool science explanation too.
    Reply
  27. Carmen Uballe says

    September 24, 2013 at 12:51 pm

    I love the cool science experiment.. and that its great for my 6 year old. is even better. I am even going to use your explanation.. She loves to learn and she loves science so this is perfect...
    Reply
  28. Courtney Pies says

    September 24, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    This is definitely a very fun experiement! I love how you had your kids write down their hypothesis! Makes it educational yet fun!
    Reply
  29. Keisha Hanvy says

    January 10, 2014 at 3:57 am

    Looks so much fun I am definitely going to try this with my daughter! Thanks for linking up at the Homeschool Linky Party week 16 I hope to see you again next week!
    Reply

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