Elephant Toothpaste Experiment

Wow! So that’s what elephants use for toothpaste! Well not quite but it sure looks like they could. Check out this amazing experiment that uses the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to create a crazy foamy substance that looks like a volcano erupting! So how does it work? After concentrated hydrogen peroxide is mixed with soapy liquid, a catalyst (a substance that starts or speeds up a chemical reaction) such as potassium iodide or manganese dioxide is added to rapidly break down the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. While the hydrogen peroxide breaks down, the water combines with the soap to create foam, rapidly spilling out of the tube as the oxygen pushes it out. Food coloring is added before the catalyst to give it a cool color.