How do exothermic reactions work? Try this experiment to understand  

Do you have a budding scientist in your house who is intrigued by chemistry? Then here is an extremely fun experiment which demonstrates how catalysts and exothermic reactions work. Not only does it explain the concepts clearly, it also provides a practical understanding of it which is always a bonus. And have we mentioned, it is an absolute blast and a hit amongst kids? Moreover, it can be conducted using just a few simple ingredients and materials which can easily be found at home. Read on to find out how you can do this DIY elephant toothpaste experiment. 

What you will need 
Using these basic materials, your school goer can perform this incredibly fun DIY experiment at home.   

• 16 oz plastic bottle 
• 1 tbsp Dry yeast  
• 3 tbsp Warm water  
• Liquid dish soap 
• Food colouring of choice 
• A small cup 
• Safety goggle 

Step-by-step guide to conduct this experiment 
Help your budding scientist conduct this experiment using the following steps. Remember, it must be attempted under adult supervision! 

• Start off by wearing safety goggles or some kind of protective eyewear. Since hydrogen peroxide can potentially irritate the skin and eyes, it is essential to take these precautions. 
• Start by adding around 7-8 drops of your food colouring of choice to the 16 oz plastic bottle. 
• Add 1 tablespoon of the liquid dish soap to the bottle and ensure that these ingredients are mixed together by swishing it around. 
• Mix 3 tablespoons of warm water in the cup. Continue doing so for around half a minute. 
• Then, slowly pour this yeast and water mixture into the bottle with the liquid soap and food colouring. You will notice foam forming. 

What exactly is happening in this experiment? 
This experiment demonstrates how catalysts work and how an exothermic reaction takes place. A catalyst is a substance that assists a reaction to take place at a faster pace. Here, each tiny bubble in the liquid dish soap was filled with oxygen. The yeast played the role of the catalyst here and removed the oxygen from it. Because this took place at such a fast pace, lots of bubbles started getting created in it. Another thing which you would have come to notice was the fact that the bottle itself slightly heated up too. This is because this was an exothermic reaction, i.e, the type of chemical reaction that releases heat.