STEM 2- St.

Maria Goretti
Group 2
Title: Elephant Toothpaste Experiment
Introduction:

Millions of chemical reactions, like cellular respiration, are occurring in your body
all the time. Hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, is a toxic (poisonous) by-product of respiration.
Most living things, including yeast, contain an enzyme that helps the breakdown of
hydrogen peroxide into other substances that are not poisonous. The reaction between
hydrogen peroxide and yeast is similar to the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide that can
occur in the cells of your body.

Experiment:

Objectives:
To determine the product when H2O2 is broken down into substances
To understand the concept about a catalyst

Materials:

Graduated cylinder
Basin
Beaker
Spatula
Stirring Rod

50 ml Hydrogen Peroxide
Dishwashing Liquid
Food Color
Yeast
Warm water

Procedure:
1. Put on gloves and laboratory gown.
2. Pour 50 mL of 10% hydrogen peroxide solution into the graduated cylinder.
3. Add 8 to 10 drops of food coloring to the side of the graduated cylinder to give
the elephant toothpaste a nice color.
4. Add about 1 tsp. of dishwashing liquid into the container.
5. Stir the mixture with a stirring rod to mix it properly.
6. In a beaker, combine 10 mL of water and 11/2 tsp. of dry yeast together and mix
it for about 30 seconds.
7. Pour the yeast water into the graduated cylinder and watch the foam going up.

Conclusion:
From the activity, we therefore generalize that the Elephant Toothpaste is a
Decomposition Reaction of Hydrogen Peroxide into Water and Oxygen Gas. It is a
chemical reaction that results in rapid expansion of foam. The foam rises up and spills
in the basin. The experiment is called Elephant Toothpaste because it looks like
toothpaste being squeezed out of the tube, and the amount of foam looks like an
amount of toothpaste an elephant would use.
Analysis:
13. List all the materials and its uses in the experiment
Graduated cylinder- used to hold the mixture of hydrogen peroxide, food coloring,
dishwashing liquid, and yeast water.
Basin- used to hold the foam spills as it oozes out of the graduated cylinder.
Beaker- used to hold the mixture of warm water and dry yeast.
Spatula- used to measure the amount of each material in the experiment.
Stirring Rod- used to mix the mixtures in the experiment,

14. What is the purpose of adding liquid dish soap?

The liquid dish soap is added to trap the oxygen as many tiny bubbles that rises
from the container.

15. What purpose does the yeast have in the experiment? Explain.
The yeast acted as a catalyst to speed up the rate of chemical reaction without
changing the products produced by the reaction. The catalyst in the yeast speeds up
the breakdown of Hydrogen Peroxide and produces water and oxygen gas more
quickly. The appearance of foam indicates the release of oxygen from the mixture.

16. Consider what effects the addition of yeast may have on a mixture of hydrogen
peroxide and liquid dish soap and why. Write your hypothesis.
The addition of yeast as a catalyst in the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and liquid
dish soap will eventually speed up the reaction producing water and oxygen as products
of an Exothermic Reaction.

17. Write the equation of the chemical reaction that occurs. What are the products of the
reaction?

2H2O2 2H2O + O2
18. Compare and contrast exothermic and endothermic reactions.
Exothermic reactions (Heat is released)

These are reactions that transfer energy to the surroundings. The energy is usually
transferred as heat energy, causing the reaction mixture and its surroundings to
become hotter. The temperature increase can be detected using a thermometer. Some
examples of exothermic reactions are:

burning
neutralisation reactions between acids and alkalis
the reaction between water and calcium oxide

Endothermic reactions (Heat is absorbed)

These are reactions that take in energy from the surroundings. The energy is usually
transferred as heat energy, causing the reaction mixture and its surroundings to get
colder. The temperature decrease can also be detected using a thermometer. Some
examples of endothermic reactions are:

electrolysis
the reaction between ethanoic acid and sodium carbonate
the thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate in a blast furnace

In the experiment, the graduated cylinder got warm as the bubbles appear indicating
that the chemical reaction that took place to produce oxygen is an Exothermic
Reaction.