Elephant’s Toothpaste
Description: Three solutions are mixed together and copious foam is produced along with a color change to yellow. This is primarily an attention-getter.
Source: UW Card Catalog
Year: N/A Vol: N/A Page: N/A
Keywords: Hydrogen peroxide, Potassium iodide, Detergent, Dawn, Catalysis
Rating: 
Hazard: Medium
- Acute toxicity hazard – oral, inhalation
- Skin corrosion hazard
- Oxidizer
- Scald hazard
- Burn hazard
- Serious eye damage
- Aquatic toxicity hazard – short term, long term
Effectiveness: Good
- Good connection from demo to course material
- Results are clearly observable without guidance
- Time to results is low
- Strong effects are seen by audience
- High reliability
Difficulty: Medium
- Some intermediate steps to results
- Use of toxic or reactive chemicals
- Prior practice recommended
- Simple procedures
- Simple manipulations for most to perform
Safety Precautions:
- Eye protection required
- Gloves required
- Lab coat recommended
- Thermal gloves recommended
- Perform in a well-ventilated area
- Recommended ceiling height – three meters
- Do not stopper bottles used in demonstration
- Avoid generated steam or vapors
- Prevent release of reagents to the environment
Class: Gas Producing Reactions, Catalysis
Division: General
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