Bouncing Raisins

Submitted by MTpockets

"A fun little experiment to do with the kids."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 3
• Serves: 1

ingredients

• 4 tablespoons vinegar
• 3 tablespoons baking soda
• 8 raisins

directions

1. In a tall glass or jar, fill it with water about half way and add the vinegar and baking soda to the water. It will begin to fizz.
2. Drop raisins into the mixture one at a time. They will sink at first, then they will rise to the surface, then sink again.
3. They should continue to do this for about an hour.
4. Why does this work? Because combining vinegar and baking soda creates bubbles of carbon dioxide. The bubbles collect on the raisins and "lift them up". At the surface the bubbles are released, then the raisins sink and the process begins again. Cool huh?!

Reviews

[Loves2Teach]

I think that for the experiment to work correctly every time, the size glass, and water amount need to be listed. I have done this with my students to show the properties of matter, but if you have a ton of water in a big glass, the reaction from the vinegar and baking soda will not be strong enough to cause the "bouncing". Thanks for sharing :)

 

[Okra4540]

My granddaughter and I found this to be rather disappointing. First, the raisins didn't do a thing. So we added another 4 T. vinegar and 3 T soda. The raisins then started bouncing but only bounced for about 15 minutes, then died.