Elephant Toothpaste Experiment

Instructions:

STEP 1. First, place down a tray to catch the eruption. Then, pour 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide into your container or bottle.

STEP 2. Add about 10-20 drops of food coloring.

STEP 3. Add a squirt of dish soap or about one tablespoon of dish soap and give it a gentle swirl.

STEP 4. Make the yeast mixture. In a measuring cup, stir the warm water and yeast until fully incorporated.

STEP 5. Pour the yeast mixture into the hydrogen peroxide/soap mixture and watch what happens!

Lots of bubbles or more like a snake of foam that comes out of the opening! Toothpaste for an elephant!

Make Foam Stripes

Before starting the experiment, add several drops of food coloring along the inside rim of the bottle and let it drip down the inside of the bottle.

You can use different colors to make vibrant stripes. As the reaction takes place and the foam rises, the colored foam will mix and create stripes as it flows out of the bottle, giving the elephant toothpaste a fun, striped effect.

Also make this fun Valentine version, Leprechaun toothpaste and Christmas Reindeer Toothpaste!

Is Elephant Toothpaste Safe To Touch?

🛑 Can you touch elephant toothpaste? No, it is not safe to touch! This elephant toothpaste experiment uses a stronger percentage of hydrogen peroxide than is usually found in homes, so we don’t recommend touching it! Unreacted hydrogen peroxide can be an irritant.

However, we have safely touched the foam if you use household hydrogen peroxide (3%), which is found in most stores.

We strongly recommend that adults only handle hydrogen peroxide. It’s not meant for play, and unreacted hydrogen peroxide may irritate skin or eyes! Wash hands thoroughly after the experiment. Wear safety goggles!

💡Alternative For Younger Kiddos: Want to make a foamy elephant toothpaste with baking soda and vinegar instead? See our baking soda and vinegar experiments.

The Elephant Toothpaste Reaction

The main chemical reaction in our Elephant Toothpaste experiment is the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into water (H₂O) and oxygen gas (O₂), catalyzed by the yeast.

A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process. In this experiment the yeast contains the enzyme catalase, which speeds up the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide.

The oxygen gas produced in the reaction quickly escapes the solution, but when you add dish soap to it, it traps the oxygen gas, creating a large amount of foam. The foam is a combination of the oxygen, water, and dish soap you added. It really does look like toothpaste being squeezed from a tube, hence the name “Elephant Toothpaste.”

The breakdown of the hydrogen peroxide is called an exothermic reaction, which means it produces heat. You will feel the warmth outside the container because energy is being released.

Extend The Learning

Extend the learning for older students by adding more complex scientific concepts, varying the conditions, and incorporating quantitative analysis.

Compare Different Glass Shapes: Use two bottles or containers with different shapes, such as a tall cylindrical drinking glass with a wide neck vs. a tall bottle with a narrow neck. Measure how quickly the foam rises and escapes from each container. A narrow glass might force the foam up faster due to its smaller opening, while a wider glass could create a slower, broader flow of foam.

Wider Neck or Narrower Neck: Use bottles with a wider neck (e.g., a jar) and a narrower neck (e.g., a soda bottle). The wider neck might allow more foam to flow out at once, while the narrower neck could produce a more concentrated stream of foam.

Vary the Concentrations: Investigate how the concentration of hydrogen peroxide affects the reaction rate and the foam volume produced. Use different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (e.g., 3%, 6%, 12%) and measure the height or volume of the foam produced. Record the temperature change using a thermometer.

Change the Catalyst: Compare the reaction using potassium iodide, manganese dioxide, and yeast as catalysts. Measure the foam production and reaction time for each. Explain the role of catalysts in lowering the activation energy and speeding up reactions. Discuss enzyme catalysis when using yeast (catalase enzyme).

Measure the Gas Production: Use a gas collection apparatus to measure the volume of oxygen produced. You can capture the gas in a balloon or use a gas syringe.

Temperature Effects: Conduct the experiment at different temperatures (e.g., using ice baths, room temperature, and warm water baths) and observe the rate and volume of foam production.

More Fun Chemical Reactions

Check out our list of favorite chemical reactions you can set up at home or in the classroom, including…

• Alka Seltzer Rocket
• Apple Browning Experiment
• Balloon Experiment
• Egg In Vinegar
• Invisible Ink
• Milk and Vinegar
• Carbon Sugar Snake
• Bake Homemade Bread

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