Experiment
Make Some Ghost Bubbles
Bubbles are cool, but bubbles filled with fog are even cooler. Ghost Bubbles are what you get when you fill a bubble with a ghostly carbon dioxide cloud. But Ghost Bubbles are truly magical because you can roll them on your hands, bounce them off your sleeve, and pop them to release the burst of fog. It’s the combination of science and performance art that will leave everyone awestruck
Materials
- 1 cup of dry ice
- Insulated gloves for handling dry ice
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 tbs. Liquid soap
- Some water to mix with the soap
- 1 rubber hose
- 1 plastic nozzle
- A jar with a hole in the lid to fit the hose
- Safety glasses
- Cotton towels for the bubbles to land on Bubbles are cool, but bubbles filled with fog are even cooler.
PROCEDURE
Step 1: Mix 1 tbs. liquid soap with water to your liking in a small container.
Step 2: Get a jar that has a lid
Step 3: Puncture a hole in it big enough to tightly fit the hose in it.
Step 4: Take the rubber hose and place it in the punctured hole. If it fits loosely, use tape to make a good seal.
Step 5: Place a plastic nozzle or something equivalent on the end of the rubber hose.
Step 6: In the jar, add the water and then the dry ice.
Step 7: Dip the nozzle in the soapy mixture. Step 8: Cap the lid and watch the bubbles form
What’s happening ?
Dry ice is carbon dioxide (CO2) in its solid form. At temperatures above -56.4 °C (-69.5 °F), dry ice changes directly from a solid to a gas, without ever being a liquid. This process is called sublimation. When dry ice is put in water it accelerates the sublimation process, creating clouds of fog that fill up your dry ice bubble until the pressure becomes too much and the bubble explodes. Dry ice is sometimes used as part of theatre productions and performances to create a dense foggy effect. It is also used to preserve food, freeze lab samples and even to make ice cream!
–Noel Fernandes
Team ScienceNow Digital
