Solid, Liquid & Gas: Pop Rocks Science Experiment

This Pop Rocks science experiment is a fun way for students to investigate how combining a solid and liquid forms a gas.

Solid, Liquid, Gas: Pop Rocks Science Experiment

Most kids know the fizz that bubbles up when you pour a glass of soda is carbon dioxide gas called carbonation. What they may not know is how it is made. Carbonation is made by forcing carbon dioxide gas and water into the soda at high pressures. This easy science experiment aligns to Next Generation Science Standards and is perfect for students to explore the properties of gas.

Materials:

12 oz. bottle of soda
medium sized kitchen funnel
8 inch round balloon
Pop Rocks candy
student lab sheet

Procedure:

1. Place the balloon over the end of a small kitchen funnel. We stretched the balloons first and even blew them up a little then released the air to stretch them further so the candy would fall in easier.

2. Pour the Pop Rocks candy into the funnel. Tap the funnel until the candy flows into the balloon. Gently shake the balloon so the candy falls to the bottom.

3. Stretch the balloon over the mouth of the soda bottle. Lift the balloon up so the candy pours into the bottle. Listen for the popping sound as the gas releases, rises, and fills the balloon.

Students use the lab sheet in this science unit to collect data by drawing the steps they took and recording observations they made. I ask them to think about the properties of gas, then analyze their data, explain their result, and what caused the balloon ti inflate.

Explain the Pop Rocks Science to Your Students

The science behind the experiment is pretty simple. Each tiny piece of Pop Rocks candy contains a small amount of carbon dioxide gas. When it is dropped into a liquid the candy gets wet releasing tiny gas bubbles that make a popping sound as they burst out of the candy shells.

Carbonated drinks contain a lot of pressurized carbon dioxide. When Pop Rocks are poured into the soda some of the gas in the soda collects as millions of bubbles on the candy. As more gas is released from the candy it moves upward and in to the balloon to fill the space.

Remember, gases fill their container or space. Since the balloon fits tightly around the mouth of the bottle, the gas has nowhere else to go up and into the balloon!