“The Lava Lamp”

Degamo,Mathew P.

ENSC 101L

First Semester 2018-2019

Principles behind the Lava Lamp Experiment

There are three different principles present in this experiment and they

are the things we call density, polarity and the reaction between an acid

and a base. Density is the measurement of how compact a substance is,

how much of it fits in a certain amount of space. If you measure an equal

volume of oil and water, you'll find that the water is heavier than the

same amount of oil. This is because water molecules are packed more

tightly and a cup of water actually has more mass than a cup of oil.

Because water is more dense than oil, it will sink to the bottom when the

two are put in the same container. Density is affected by temperature the

hotter a liquid is, the less dense it will be. Even though they have

different densities, oil and water would eventually mix together if it

weren't for polarity. Water molecules are "polar" because they have a

lopsided electrical charge that attracts other atoms. The end of the

molecule with the two hydrogen atoms is positively charged. The other

end, with the oxygen, is negatively charged. Just like in a magnet, where

north poles are attracted to south poles ("opposites attract"), the positive

end of the water molecule will connect with the negative end of other

molecules. Oil molecules, however, are non-polar— they don't have a

positive or negative charge, so they are not attracted to the water

molecules at all. This is why oil and water don't mix. Alka-Seltzer is a

tablet used to treat indigestion. It's made of two chemicals, an acid and a
base. Acids are molecules that can donate small charged particles

called hydrogen ions. Bases are the opposite, they accept hydrogen ions.

When acids and bases come in contact with each other, they create a

chemical reaction. However, in the Alka-Seltzer, the two chemicals are in

a solid form, they can't react because the molecules don't move. When

they enter water, the chemicals are released and can react.In Alka-

Seltzer, the citric acid mixes with the base, bicarbonate, to form carbon

dioxide bubbles. How quickly these bubbles form indicates how fast the

reaction is proceeding, or reaction rate.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THE EXPERIMENT

Container such as Empty water bottle or Water Glass

Vegetable Oil or any liquid material as long as it is less dense than water

Water

Alka-Seltzer tablet/Polident

Food Coloring

PROCEDURE

1.Pour the vegetable oil in the container you choosed ¼ of the container.

2.Then pour a small amount of water until it reaches near the top of the

container.Wait a couple of minutes until the water separates with the oil.

3.Drop any amount of food coloring ,depends on how you want the color

of the water will be .You could also mix the food coloring with the water

before you pour it if you are using powdered food coloring.

4.Drop the polident inside then watch how it reacts with water and

observe what happens.

As I mixed the materials inside the container , we could see that the

water goes below the oild because it is denser and as I dropped the

polident tablet inside , the acid base reaction happened that produced

bubbles which rised showing the lava lamp effect or the blobs going

upward.When the tablet is already dissolved the water goes back at the

bottom , and you could drop again another tablet to repeat the reaction.