How to Do Your Own Simple Chemistry Experiments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLP4MWcDRrs

This video shows a simple experiment which can be done in our kitchen. In this experiment, the woman mixes the bicarbonate of soda with some white vinegar in a small bottle, and slips a balloon over it. As the reaction proceeds, it produces much foam and gas substances, which blows the balloon up. The essential of it is very simple:

2CH3COOH + Na2CO3 == 2CH3COONa + CO2 + H2O

It is the produced carbon dioxide that blows the balloon up. I think this video is very interesting because it is such a simple experiment we can do it out of laboratory. Chemistry is not only what we deal with in the class and lab, because everything around us is chemical substance. The objective of learning chemistry is to use the science to improve our life, instead of empty talk. In fact, there are many interesting chemical reactions around us, and it is a good chance to apply what we have learnt in the class to practice in our life.

Submitted by: Zixing Fan (Vincent)