Please be sure to take all safety precautions necessary and wear safety glasses!

The Fascinating Fountain of Root Beer

Published: 11/01/2007 11:41 am

Updated: 11/07/2007 10:43 am

Materials
2-liter bottle of root beer	Aluminum cylinder, .5" diamter; 6" long
Tongs or heavy duty gloves	Propane Torch	Mop and bucket of water for cleaning

Procedure:

Open a 2-liter bottle of root beer slowly, avoiding the formation of bubbles. Heat a bar of aluminum using a propane torch while holding the bar with tongs. And adult should do the work with the torch. When the bar is hot, remove it from the flame and drop it in the 2-liter bottle of root beer. A fountain of root beer will erupt! Dispose of the remaining root beer.

What's Going On:

The hot aluminum will cause carbon dioxide to emerge from the root beer. Gases like carbon dioxide are much less soluble at high temperatures. More gas is present in a solution with a lower termperature compared to a solution with a higher temperature. Increased temperature causes an increase in kinetic energy. The higher kinetic energy causes more motion in molecules, which break intermolecular bonds and escape from solution. This gas solubility relationship can be remembered if you thihnk about what happens to a soda pop as it stands around for a while at room temperature. The taste is very "flat" since more of the "tangy" carbon dioxide bubbles have escaped.

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