Self-inflating balloon

Question:

Can you inflate a balloon up without blowing it up with your mouth?

Hypothesis:

We think that a balloon can be blown up without using your mouth.
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Our Experiment

Materials: 

Picture
  • Balloon
  • Empty water bottle
  • 2 Funnels
  • 2 Tbls. Baking soda
  • 1/2 Cup Vinegar

Procedure:


  1. Stretch out the balloon by inflating it then deflating it.
  2. Attach the balloon to the bottom of the funnel.
  3. Pour 2 Tbls. baking soda into the funnel and into the balloon
  4. Take the 2nd funnel and put that on the mouth of the water bottle.
  5. Then pour 1/2 cup of vinegar into the water bottle.
  6. Put the balloon on the mouth of the water bottle without pouring the baking soda into the bottle.
  7. Slightly tip the balloon over so the baking soda goes into the water bottle and hold the balloon up straight until all of the baking soda is in the bottle.



Special Needs:


Safety Procedures

Make sure the balloon covers the whole opening on the bottle.
Do not shake the water bottle with the vinegar and baking soda inside.
Do not remove the balloon after you pour the baking soda into the bottle.

Watch us in action:

The Science Behind It

When you mix vinegar, an acid, with baking soda, a base it creates a chemical reaction and forms carbonic acid. When the bubbles are produced it breaks the carbonic acid down and forms a gas called carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide inflates the balloon.


Conclusions

Our hypothesis was correct and you can inflate a balloon with out air.

Ava Giudice

Hi, I'm Ava.  I love to play soccer, and basketball.  I have two sisters and one brother.

Lindsay Gill

Hi, I'm Lindsay. I'm in 5th grade and I love to play soccer and I love to draw. I have two brothers named Kieran and Connor.

Isabella Youngs

Hi my name is Isabella but people call me Izzy. I play softball, golf,
and basketball. I have a sister named Fiona.