Dakota Womack
Gas Laws Lab Report
Period 2
12/5/11
Problem: What would happen when Hydrogen Peroxide, Potassium Iodide, and
dishwashing soap were combined? And what Gas Law would apply to the experiment?
Hypothesis: If the Peroxide and the Iodide are combined, then heat will be created in the
cylinder, along with some type of gas, which would pertain to Daltons Gas Law of Partial
Pressure.
Procedure:
Three substances were used in the creating of the Elephant Toothpaste: Potassium Iodide,
Hydrogen Peroxide, and dishwashing soap. 25 mL of Hydrogen Peroxide and 5 mL of
Potassium Iodide were mixed into a graduated cylinder. After those two solutions were
combined, a small amount of dishwashing soap was added to the mixture. If you wanted,
you could have added a couple drops of food coloring to create a unique foam color, but
this was not required. After waiting for a couple of minutes, foam began to form, and also
began rising upward.
What happened?
As a result of the combining the Potassium Iodide (KI) and the Hydrogen Peroxide
(H2O2) together, these solids quickly combined. The peroxide broke down the iodide,
creating a solid, which in this case is foam, and had enough pressure to remove the
substance from the cylinder. Also, because of the mixing of two compounds, heat was
formed from a miniature combustion reaction that took place between the peroxide and
the Potassium.
Conclusions:
The conclusion from this experiment was that my hypothesis was correct. But also, I was
surprised at the fact a solid was created along with the combustion reaction taking place
along side it.
Law Used: Daltons Gas Law of Partial Pressure
In this experiment, many things happened through the chemical process of
creating “elephant toothpaste”. Combustion, a new physical substance was created from
two liquids, and Daltons Law of Partial Pressure was seen through the sparking of the
“toothpaste”. These things are very important to the process of creating this odd
substance.
It is very interesting to see that through the combining of Hydrogen Peroxide and
Potassium Iodide, heat was formed. The producing of heat through a chemical reaction is
called combustion. A product of the combustion would be water and another compound.
Water was found at the bottom of the cylinder, along with the foam that was rising from
the mixed substance. This shows that a successful reaction had occurred.
Adding elements or substances together to create a compound is called a chemical
reaction. The Hydrogen helped break down the Potassium Iodide, releasing the electrons
needed to create a solid. Once they are broken down, foam is created, which quickly rises
from the pressure applied from the gas that is rising up from underneath the substance,
which in my opinion is Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressure.
Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressure states that the total pressure exerted by a gaseous
mixture is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of each individual component of the
gas. What this is meaning is that the gas that was created from the combining of the
substances pressure, in this case, Potassium Iodide and the Hydrogen Peroxide, is equal
to the individual gas of each substance that was used to create the given substance. This
can be tested through the using a punk, or a stick of incense that is lit, and is then placed
above the substance that is giving off the gas. Without the pressure from the gas that is
created, the substance couldn’t readily move upward and out of the cylinder. This could
be fatal in some instances, because of the fact that if the substance was way more
powerful and dangerous, the substance would not move upwards, but would expand from
side to side, possibly breaking open the graduated cylinder, beaker, or whatever you are
using. This could possibly hurt someone. So, it is important that pressure is created from
the gas, because without it, the substance couldn’t escape correctly.
With the combustion, creating of a new substance, and most importantly Daltons
Law of Partial Pressure, this experiment was great to test out one of the few gas laws
present in today’s day and age.
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