DIY Lava Lamp!

Make Your Own Lava Lamp with Antacid tablets!

Did you know you can use your fizzy tablets at home to make your very own lava lamp? Here's your chance to dive into a fun, colorful experiment that brings science to life in a mesmerizing way. This lava lamp is not only easy to make with things you have at home, but is a fantastic way to explore chemistry concepts while making something that looks awesome!

Materials You'll Need:

• A clear cup or bottle (1 per lamp)

• Water – about 1/4 cup

• Cooking oil – about 1/2 cup

• Food coloring or watercolor paint 

• Fizzy/Antacid tablet – 1 tablet such as Alka-Seltzer or Berocca (you can break it into smaller pieces to make the effect last longer)

Step-by-Step Tutorial

1. Add Water: Pour about 1/4 cup of water into your clear container.

2. Add Color: Add a few drops of food coloring or watercolor paint to color the water. This will help the lava effect really stand out and is also just fun!

3. Add Oil: Slowly pour 1/2 cup of cooking oil into the container. The oil will float above the water and won’t mix with it, giving it a layered look.

4. Make It Bubble: Drop an antacid tablet (or broken up pieces) into the container. Sit back and watch the bubbly, colorful display!

   
   

The Science Behind It

So, what exactly is happening inside your lava lamp?

1. Oil and Water Don’t Mix: Oil and water naturally separate because they have different densities and molecular structures. Water is heavier and more dense than oil, hence it sinks. Water molecules are polar, which means they have a positive and a negative end, while oil molecules are nonpolar and don't mix well with water. This separation creates a visible boundary, which keeps the water trapped at the bottom.

2. Antacid Reaction: Antacid tablets contain citric acid and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). These help neutralize stomach acidity, but in our lava lamp, when the tablet dissolves in water, these two ingredients react to create carbon dioxide gas, forming tiny bubbles.

3. Gas Bubbles Carry Water Drops Up: The carbon dioxide gas bubbles attach to the colored water droplets, making them lighter than the oil, so they float up through the oil to the top of the lamp. When the bubbles pop at the surface, the water droplets sink back down, creating a continuous “lava lamp” effect!

4. The Cycle Continues: As long as there's pieces of the tablet left to react with the water, new bubbles will keep forming, carrying the colorful water drops up and down in a mesmerizing cycle.

   
   

Extension

Try experimenting by adding more or fewer pieces of the tablet and comparing the effects!

Enjoy your bubbly, homemade lava lamp, and happy experimenting!