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How to Make a Soda Bottle Volcano

Last Updated: July 18, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA . Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 986,508 times.

Making a soda-bottle volcano is a classic science experiment that doubles as a great excuse to make an explosive mess. There are multiple combinations of materials that will lead to a fun explosion. Two of the classic soda-bottle volcanos are made with soda and Mentos candy mints(which can produce eruptions of up to 18 feet if done correctly) or a combination of baking soda and vinegar. Gathering a few household items can lead to a fun afternoon of volcanic explosions in the backyard.

Designing the Volcano

• If you’re working with scrap material, consider decorating the base to look like a flat landscape. You may want to paint it, cover it with moss, apply green felt to indicate grass, attach miniature trees, etc.

• A caramel-colored soda will probably look the most like lava when your volcano erupts, so avoid clear drinks. Both diet and regular soda work for this experiment, but diet soda erupts higher.
• If gluing the bottle, let the bottle reach room temperature. A cold, sweating soda bottle will never glue properly. Avoid using hot glue, which might melt the bottle and make a mess.
• If you’re doing a vinegar and baking soda volcano, you will attach an empty bottle to the board.

• Avoid covering the cap of the bottle or you won’t be able to activate the volcano. Ensure you have access to the opening so you can add Mentos or baking soda for the eruption!

• You may even want to press pebbles, dirt, and moss into the surface to give it a more natural appearance.

Using the Soda and Mentos Method

• This experiment is best done outside, but if you must be inside, lay down a large plastic tarp first.

• Warn any spectators to stand back.

• Method 1: Make a paper tube with the same width as the bottle neck. It should be long enough to fit the number of Mentos you want to put inside. Place an index card over the bottle mouth, place the tube over the hole, and fill it with Mentos. When you are ready to erupt, you will slide the card out, releasing the Mentos into the bottle. [4] X Research source
• Method 2: Loosely scotch tape the entire roll of Mentos together. When it’s time, you will drop the taped chain directly into the open bottle.
• Method 3: Insert into the bottle a funnel with a mouth that is wide enough to allow the Mentos to pass, but small enough to fit inside the neck of the bottle. You will drop the Mentos through the funnel and remove the funnel once the Mentos are in the bottle.

• If using the paper tube method, remove the card holding the Mentos in place and let them all slide into the bottle at one time.
• If using the tape method, simply drop the piece of taped-together Mentos into the mouth of the bottle.
• If using the funnel, drop all the Mentos into the funnel at the same time. Remove the funnel once they’re all in and run back.

Using the Baking Soda and Vinegar Method

• Do a little experimentation to find the proper amounts of each material to get the size of eruption you want.
• Use red-wine vinegar for the best lava coloring. Alternatively, you can also add red or orange food coloring to white vinegar.
• You can use a smaller plastic bottle, but will have to adjust the ingredients accordingly.

• If the weather is agreeable, place the volcano outside.

Community Q&A

• If you drink soda and then eat Mentos, do not worry at all; the acid in your mouth and stomach will stop it from reacting with the soda in your belly. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Don't use a 3- or 1-liter bottle, as the neck-to volume-ratio is too large. A 3-liter bottle results in about a 6-inch tall fountain and a 1-liter bottle it will just foam over the top. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Stay away from the immediate area after starting the volcano. It will get messy. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Things You'll Need

Volcano and Base

• Scrap wood or cutting board for a base
• Play dough or clay
• Chicken wire
• Strips of paper
• White craft glue
• Acrylic paint

Soda and Mentos Method

• 2-liter bottle of soda (diet is preferable)
• Roll or box of Mentos (mint works best)
• A funnel, one index card, or scotch tape

Baking Soda and Vinegar Method

• Empty 2-liter bottle
• Baking soda
• Red-wine vinegar
• Food coloring

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/make-a-volcano/
• ↑ https://www.weatherwizkids.com/experiments-volcano-soda-bottle.htm
• ↑ https://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/how-to-make-a-volcano/
• ↑ https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-make-a-volcano.html

About This Article

To make a soda bottle volcano, first combine 2 parts vinegar, 1 part water, and a squirt of dishwashing liquid. Then, put the mixture in an empty 2-liter soda bottle and add a spoonful of baking soda, which will react with the vinegar to make your volcano erupt. Alternately, you can drop Mentos candies into a 2-liter bottle of cola. You can then watch the eruption, which happens when the candies react with the carbon dioxide in the soda to push the liquid out of the bottle. Just be sure to move away quickly, since the eruption can make quite a mess! To learn from our Scientist reviewer how to get all the Mentos into your soda bottle at the same time, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Science Fun

How to make a Volcano

• 10 ml of dish soap
• 100 ml of warm water
• 400 ml of white vinegar
• Food coloring
• Baking soda slurry (fill a cup about ½ with baking soda, then fill the rest of the way with water)
• Empty 2 liter soda bottle

Instructions:

NOTE: This should be done outside due to the mess.

• Combine the vinegar, water, dish soap and 2 drops of food coloring into the empty soda bottle.
• Use a spoon to mix the baking soda slurry until it is all a liquid.
• Eruption time! … Pour the baking soda slurry into the soda bottle quickly and step back!

WATCH THE QUICK AND EASY VIDEO TUTORIAL!

How it Works:

A chemical reaction between vinegar and baking soda creates a gas called carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the same type of gas used to make the carbonation in sodas. What happens if you shake up a soda? The gas gets very excited and tries to spread out. There is not enough room in the bottle for the gas to spread out so it leaves through the opening very quickly, causing an eruption!

Extra Experiments:

1. Does the amount of vinegar change the eruption? 2. Does the amount of water change the eruption? 3. Does the amount of baking soda change the eruption?

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Diet Coke and Mentos Soda Geyser

The Diet Coke and Mentos soda geyser, also known as the soda and candy fountain or volcano, is a physical reaction between candy and carbon dioxide that instantaneously releases the gas so it shoots into the air. There is a lot of science behind this deceptively simple project! Here are instructions for performing the original project, tips for getting the tallest eruption, options for material substitutions, and a look at how the Diet Coke and Mentos geyser works.

All you need is a packet of Mentos candies and a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke:

• Roll of Mentos candies
• 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke

Make sure the candy is fresh and the bottle of soda is unopened. Freshness matters!

You also need a way of delivering the candies into the soda. One method is just dropping the column from your hand, but rolling them into a paper or index card tube is more reliable. Stacking them into a test tube is another option.

Substitutions

While Mentos and Diet Coke work best, you have other options:

• Any carbonated beverage
• Any candy that stacks neatly into a column
• Coins, shot, or other small items that fit through the bottle opening
• Sand or salt instead of candy (which work quite well)

In general, diet carbonated beverages produce higher fountains than sugary ones. Also, they don’t produce a sticky mess. Uncarbonated beverages, like juice or water, do not work at all. Objects with smooth, flat surfaces (like coins) do not work nearly as well as other options.

How to Make the Diet Coke and Mentos Soda Geyser Erupt

The project is messy. You might want to step outdoors.

• Open the Mentos candies and stack them into a single column.
• Open the bottle of soda.
• Drop the column of candy into the bottle, all at once.

If you have more candy, you can repeat the eruption using the same bottle of soda. It won’t be quite as dramatic, but still works.

Tips for Getting the Biggest Eruption

• Diet Coke or other diet colas outperform any other drinks. There are a lot of potential reasons for this, mainly involving the effects of aspartame, potassium benzoate, and other ingredients on the surface tension and foaming capacity of the beverage. The worst carbonated beverages for this project are carbonated water and sparkling alcoholic drinks.
• The blue Mentos candies work better than other flavors. The fruity Mentos are reportedly the worst flavor. Freshly unwrapped candies are best. Old candy is not very effective, probably because humidity changes the candy surface.
• A 2-liter plastic bottle works better than any smaller bottle, whether it is plastic or glass.
• You get a better eruption at high altitude or low atmospheric pressure compared with sea level or other high pressure situation.
• Warm soda produces a higher fountain than cold soda.

How the Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment Works

The Diet Coke and Mentos eruption is a physical process more than a chemical reaction. The candy surface has many tiny imperfections and cavities, each only a micron or so in size. When you drop the Mentos into the soda there are numerous minute air bubbles stuck onto them. These little bubbles act as nucleation sites for rapid de-gassing of the soda:

CO 2 (aq) → CO 2 (g)

Because the nucleation sites lower the activation energy for bubble formation, you can say they catalyze the reaction.

The candies are dense enough that they sink to the bottom of the soda bottle, interacting with dissolved carbon dioxide as they fall. As carbon dioxide bubbles form, the gas is lighter than the liquid and the bubbles rise. As they rise, they expand. The pressure of the gas results in a quick release of pressure, making a geyser out of the soda. Ingredients in the partially-dissolved candy help the bubbles keep their shape and form a foam as the liquid ejects from the bottle.

Numerous investigations into why diet soda (especially cola) works better than sweetened soda or why Mentos works better than other candies answer some questions, but not all of them. The ingredients in the soda make a difference. However, which ones enhance bubble formation and which suppress it are unclear. The chemical composition of the candies likely contributes to bubble formation, but it’s really their surface structure that matters the most.

Turn the Science Project Into an Experiment

Performing the Diet Coke and Mentos project is easy, but turning the project into an experiment is also simple. Just find a variable under your control, predict the outcome from changing it, conduct an experiment that tests this hypothesis , and then analyze your results and see if your prediction was correct. Here are some ideas of variables you can explore:

• Is there an optimal number of candies for the best eruption?
• Compare different types of carbonated beverages. Do you think, for example, that Coke Zero performs as well as Diet Coke? Do other brands of diet cola perform as well?
• Explore the effect of soda temperature on fountain formation. If you see a difference, comparing chilled and warm soda, can you explain it ?
• Are there any candies that work as well as Mentos? In general, is there a way of predicting whether or not a particular kind of candy produces an eruption?
• What effect do you expect, if you add a bit of bubble solution or dishwashing liquid to the soda before adding the candy?
• Design different “candy delivery” systems. What are the pros and cons of each of them?
• Can you make a nozzle that reduces the diameter of the bottle? If so, what effect does this have on the height of the eruption?

Fun Facts About the Diet Coke and Mentos Project

• The original soda and candy fountain project, circa 1910, used Wint-O-Green Lifesaver candies (which as also great for the “spark in the dark” triboluminescence project ). However, the company changed the candy diameter in the 1990s and it no longer fits into most bottles.
• Scientists estimate the eruption releases between 2.4 and 14 million bubbles per liter of Diet Coke. Regular Coke produces a lot less bubbles.
• A single Mentos candy contains 50,000 to 300,000 nucleation sites, although the reaction does not utilize every one of them.
• Coffey, Tonya Shea (2008). “Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction?”. American Journal of Physics . 76 (6): 551–557. doi: 10.1119/1.2888546
• Kuntzleman, Thomas S.; Imhoff, Amanda M. (2021). “How Many Bubbles Are in the Foam Produced during the Candy-Cola Soda Geyser?”. Journal of Chemical Education . 98 (12): 3915–3920. doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c01001
• Kuntzleman, Thomas S.; Annis, Jezrielle; Anderson, Hazel; Kenney, Joshua B.; Doctor, Ninad (2020). “Kinetic Modeling of and Effect of Candy Additives on the Candy–Cola Soda Geyser: Experiments for Elementary School Science through Physical Chemistry”. Journal of Chemical Education . 97 (1): 283–288. doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00796
• Kuntzleman, Thomas S.; Johnson, Ryan (2020). “Probing the Mechanism of Bubble Nucleation in and the Effect of Atmospheric Pressure on the Candy–Cola Soda Geyser”. Journal of Chemical Education . 97 (4): 980–985. doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b01177

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Mentos and Coke Volcano

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You have probably seen or heard about this classic experiment before that involves dropping mentos into a bottle of coke and watching the soda erupt everywhere! This time we are going to add a little extra to this thrilling experiment with a homemade geyser tube. So let’s get started making this Mentos and Coke Volcano

Find more fun Plastic Bottle Experiments here!

This has always been one of my favorite experiments to do! It is always fun to watch the reaction between the Mentos candy and the carbonated soda create a dazzling, bubbly, and sticky fountain into the sky…which is also why I highly recommend doing this science experiment outside!

Table of Contents

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Supplies Needed:

• 2 Liter Bottle of Coke (or any kind of carbonated soda)
• Duct t a pe or electrical tape
• A toothpick
• 1 roll of Mentos (fruit or mint-flavored)
• Construction paper or card stock
• Safety glasses
• Scissors (optional)

How to make the soda and mentos experiment go higher with a geyser tube

• Roll a tube of Mentos up in construction paper or card stock. Tape the ends and middle to hold it in place and slide the Mentos tube out.
• Insert your new geyser tube carefully into the top of your soda bottle and secure it to the bottle with duct tape.
• Poke a toothpick into the lower part of the geyser tube just above the opening of the bottle.
• Place your soon to be coke and mentos volcano in a place that you are okay with getting sticky and messy (this is the part I prefer to do outside).
• Make sure your toothpick is all the way through the center of the geyser tube to keep the Mentos from falling and put on safety goggles.
• Gently and slowly drop about 5 Mentos into the top of your geyser tube.
• Pull the toothpick out of the paper tube to release the Mentos into the bottle and quickly get out of the way to enjoy watching the eruption!

Step 1: Create your geyser tube

Before we get started doing the most exciting eruption part of this experiment, we need to make the geyser tube. I promise taking the extra time to make this will be well worth it and make the Coke and Mentos volcano go higher!

To make this geyser tube you will need to grab a piece of construction paper or card stock. The roll of Mentos is the perfect sized diameter to roll your paper around to make a geyser tube. Begin rolling your paper longways with the roll of Mentos inside to help shape your paper into the tube that you need.

Once you have rolled the paper up as tightly as you can around the Mentos, grab some electrical tape or duct tape and wrap both ends of the geyser tube to secure it in place. You might also want to put a piece of tape over the seam of the paper in the middle of the tube to make sure it doesn’t unroll.

When you are done taping the middle and ends of the tube and it feels nice and secure, go ahead and tip the tube up and slide the roll of mentos out of the tube.

Step 2: Connect your geyser tube to the top of the soda bottle

Now that you have created your magical geyser tube, go ahead and attach it to the opening at the top of the 2-liter bottle of soda. Before doing this remember to take the cap off the bottle.

Depending on how tightly your geyser tube was rolled up, you should be able to insert the end of the tube into the inside opening of the bottle. If your geyser tube was rolled a little bit loosely and has a digger diameter, then you can slide it over the outside of the opening of the bottle instead.

Once you have either inserted the tube on the inside of the opening of the bottle or slid the tube over the opening, go ahead and securely attach the tube to the bottle with electrical tape or duct tape. I personally prefer to use duct tape since it seems to stick better and stay on better when it gets wet in the eruption.

You do want to wrap a couple of layers of tape tightly around the connection to get the best seal possible. The better your connection is on the geyser tube to the bottle, the higher your eruption will go.

Step 3: Slide a toothpick through the geyser tube

This part can be a little bit tricky depending on how thick the construction paper or card stock for your geyser tube is. If you are using standard construction paper, then you should be able to poke your toothpick through the tube and the tape on the outside of the tube fairly easily.

If you are using thicker card stock paper, you may need to use a paperclip or even a small needle to poke a hole through the tube first, and then insert the toothpick through the hole in the tube.

Whatever method you decide to use, make sure to put the toothpick in near the bottom of the geyser tube and just above where the tube connects into the bottle.

Look through the tube and double-check that the toothpick is in going through the center of the tube and sticking out of both sides. It is important to make sure the toothpick is in a spot to keep the Mentos from falling into the soda bottle.

The toothpick will act as the firing pin for the Mentos and soda eruption, so you want to make sure it is in the right spot! You do not want the eruption to fire prematurely and make a mess…trust me I have learned this part from experience!

Step 4: Move to a place away from anything you don’t want to get messy

We are almost ready for the grand finale of this favorite experiment, but before you get too excited and drop those Mentos into the soda bottle you might want to take this experiment outside!

One thing that I have learned in doing this Mentos and Coke Volcano is that no two eruptions are alike. Sometimes a few Mentos can fall into the bottle and some can get stuck in the tube and create a funnel that shoots sticky soda spray 10 or more feet high (I learned this the hard way and gave my house a sticky diet coke bath)!

Other times, when all goes as planned, this geyser tube should create a steady fountain of soda that shoots about 3-4 feet high above the bottle. Bottom line, do this in an area that is okay to get messy and be prepared for anything!

Step 5: Make sure the toothpick (firing pin) is in and ready to hold the Mentos

Now that you are outside, or in a good area to start your reaction, double-check that your toothpick is inserted all the way through the geyser tube. It should be near the bottom of the tube and going through the center to keep the Mentos from falling into the soda pop below.

Since the next step is when our volcano begins to erupt, I highly recommend putting your safety goggles on now before it’s too late!

Step 6: Load Mentos into the geyser tube

Very gently and slowly drop about 5 Mentos into the top of your geyser tube. Mint or fruit-flavored Mentos will work for this reaction, but I prefer to use the mint ones just because I love to save the fruit ones for a little tasty treat!

The toothpick in the bottom of the tube should do its job to stop the candies from falling into the soda, but just be on guard in case a Mento finds it’s way past the toothpick and into the soda. If this happens, your eruption will start prematurely and you will want to get out of the way quickly!

Step 7: Pull the toothpick out of the geyser tube and watch the reaction

As you quickly pull the toothpick out from the geyser tube it will allow the Mentos to drop into the soda and you will almost instantly see your Coke and Mentos Volcano erupt into a brilliant brown fountain!

Hopefully, by this point, you have quickly moved out of the way to a safe and dry viewing distance, or you might get sprayed by some sticky volcanic soda!

The good news is that as long as you don’t mind a little mint flavor in your drink, or a flat soda…then you can pour the remaining soda into a glass and enjoy a little post-experiment refreshment too!

Coke and Mentos Explained:

This Coke and Mentos volcano happens thanks to the reaction between the gelatin and gum molecules in the Mentos and the carbonation in the soda pop. Carbonated soda beverages contain carbon dioxide that is dissolved in the soda and attached to water molecules.

The gelatin and the gum in the Mentos help to break apart the water and carbon molecules that are stuck together in the soda. Another factor that helps the eruption happen with even more force is the fact that the Mentos are denser than the liquid soda and they sink to the bottom.

Mentos also have tons of tiny little microscopic pits on their surface which are a double whammy for creating a great reaction. The tiny little holes on the surface of the Mentos allows a spot for carbon dioxide bubbles to form rapidly, which leads to the eruption.

When the carbon dioxide bubbles form on the microscopic holes in the Mentos, the bubbles rise and push all the soda up and out of the geyser tube with them and creates the Coke and Mentos Volcano that we all love!

Do you have to use Coke to create the Mentos eruption?

Even though this experiment is often referred to as the “Coke and Mentos experiment,” you can actually use any kind of carbonated soda with Mentos to get this stunning reaction. It is true though that some flavors of soda are known to produce better reactions than others.

This is mainly because some sodas have more carbon dioxide in them than others. The carbon dioxide is what creates all the bubbles and creates the pressure to make the fountain of soda.

From my experience, Diet Coke is actually the best option for this Mentos and Coke Volcano for a couple of reasons.

Diet Coca-Cola has a lot of carbonation (carbon dioxide) so it makes the reaction great! There is also less sugar in Diet Coke than other sodas, so it doesn’t get quite as sticky and messy to clean up in the end.

Do Fruit Mentos work with Coke?

Yes! You can use Fruit Mentos or Mint Mentos to create the Mentos and Coke volcano. It does seem like the Mint Mentos react a little more intense with the soda and create a slightly higher fountain of soda though.

I personally prefer to use the Mint Mentos for this experiment to get the biggest and best eruption as possible…and to save the tasty Fruit Mentos for myself since they taste way better than the Mint Mentos!

More Fun and Easy Experiments:

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How to Make a Mentos & Diet Soda Chemical Volcano Eruption

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Chemical volcanoes are classic projects for science fairs and chemistry demonstrations. The ​ Mentos and diet soda volcano is similar to the baking soda volcano , except the eruption is really powerful, capable of producing jets of soda several feet high. It's messy, so you might want to do this project outdoors or in a bathroom. It's also non-toxic, so kids can do this project. This simple  chemical volcano takes a few minutes to set up and erupts for a few seconds

What You Need

• Roll of Mentos candies
• 2-liter bottle of diet soda
• Test tube or sheet of paper
• A mop for cleanup

Making the Mentos and Soda Erupt

• First, gather your supplies. You can substitute another candy for the Mentos, such as M&Ms or Skittles, but ideally, you want candies that stack into a neat column with minimal space between them, have a chalky consistency, and barely fit through the mouth of a 2-liter bottle.
• Similarly, you could substitute normal soda for diet soda. The project will work just as well, but the resulting eruption will be sticky. Whatever you use, the beverage has to be carbonated!
• First, you need to stack the candies. The easiest way to do this is to stack them in a test tube narrow enough to form a single column. Otherwise, you can roll a sheet of paper into a tube just barely wide enough for a stack of candies.
• Place an index card over the opening of the test tube or end of the paper tube to hold the candies in the container. Invert the test tube.
• Open your full 2-liter bottle of diet soda. The eruption happens very quickly, so set things up: you want the open bottle/index card/roll of candies so that as soon as you remove the index card, the candies will drop smoothly into the bottle.
• When you're ready, do it! You can repeat the eruption with the same bottle and another stack of candies. Have fun!

How the Mentos and Diet Soda Experiment Works

The Diet Coke and Mentos geyser is the result of a physical process rather than a chemical reaction. There's a lot of carbon dioxide dissolves in the soda, which gives it its fizz. When you drop a Mentos into the soda, tiny bumps on the candy surface give the carbon dioxide molecules a nucleation site or place to stick. As more and more carbon dioxide molecules accumulate, bubbles form. Mentos candies are heavy enough they sink, so they interact with carbon dioxide all the way to the bottom of the container. The bubbles expand as they rise. The partially dissolved candy is sticky enough to trap the gas, forming a foam. Because there's so much pressure, it all happens very quickly. The narrow opening of a soda bottle funnels the foam to make a geyser.

If you use a nozzle that makes the opening at the top of the bottle even smaller, the jet of liquid will go even higher. You can also experiment using regular Coke (as opposed to the diet versions) or tonic water (which glows blue under a black light).

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Volcano Experiment – Baking Soda Volcano

March 20, 2018 By Emma Vanstone 1 Comment

When you think of great science experiments for kids one of the first that springs to mind is probably a baking soda volcano and vinegar volcano. I remember making one with my little brother in the kitchen when he was about 4 or 5. Baking soda volcanoes and coke floats were our favourite summer activities.

You might also like our 10 science experiments every child should try at least once with a free printable checklist to work through.

A baking soda volcano eruption is a fantastic first demonstration of a chemical reaction as the ingredients are safe ( although do wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from vinegar )

Why does a baking soda and vinegar reaction happen?

If you combine an acid and an alkali they react together to neutralise each other. Vinegar is an acid and bicarbonate of soda is  an alkali.

The reaction releases carbon dioxide gas, which is the bubbles you see. If you add washing up liquid ( dish soap ) to your eruption mix the bubbles make the washing up liquid bubble up, giving the appearance of lava erupting from a volcano .

How to make a baking soda volcano

What you need to make a baking soda volcano.

Basically you need the ingredients for the volcano eruption , a jar or small bottle for the eruption to happen in and something to use as the volcano part.

Volcano – sand, snow, modroc etc

Small jar or bottle

Red food colouring

Baking soda

Volcano Instructions

I don’t usually measure an exact amount of each, but a good dollop of baking soda, a squirt of dish soap and a bit of red food colouring mixed with a little water should give you a good eruption. If it doesn’t, add a bit more baking soda.

If you want to make a very quick and easy baking soda volcano a  sand volcano is a good option, or a snow volcano !

Volcano Experiment Extension Ideas

What happens if you don’t use the dish soap? Can you predict what might happen before trying it?

What happens if you add extra dish soap?

Volcano Experiment Extra Challenge s

Can you think of an acidic fruit you could use to make an baking soda volcano eruption without adding vinegar?

Create a papier mache volcano ? We love this version from Red Ted Art.

Design a multicoloured volcano? We split our jar in half and poured yellow food colouring into one half and red into the other for this.

What’s your favourite baking soda volcano to make?

What is a volcano?

A volcano is a mountain that contains a magma ( rock so hot it has turned into a liquid ) chamber. The magma chamber is filled with liquid rock. If enough pressure builds inside the chamber the volcano can explode shooting the magma from the top! When magma is on the surface of the Earth we call it lava! This is a volcanic eruption and can cause a lot

Make a model of a famous volcano

Another idea is to make a model of a famous volcano. In my book This Is Rocket Science one of the activities is to make a baking soda Olympus Mons . It’s a great way to learn about chemical reactions, volcanoes and Mars!!

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Last Updated on March 2, 2021 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

March 21, 2018 at 2:44 pm

My kids just love making erupting volcanoes – they are really fascinated by them. Love your challenges and extension ideas – will defo give them a try!

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How To Make a Baking Soda Volcano With Free Observation Sheet

This experiment will have kids erupting with applause!

The classic baking soda volcano experiment has been entertaining kids (and adults) of all ages for decades. But it’s more than just a lot of fun. This experiment also teaches kids about simple chemical reactions and physical properties. The best part? It’s easy to do and uses only a few basic ingredients. Read on to see how to conduct the baking soda volcano experiment, and fill out the form on this page to grab your free recording sheet!

How does the baking soda volcano experiment work?

This experiment involves pouring vinegar mixed with dish soap into a small amount of baking soda. The baking soda acts as a base while the vinegar is an acid. When the base and the acid come together, they create an endothermic reaction that produces carbon dioxide. The dish soap helps to create the foaming effect as the “lava” pours out of the volcano.

What does the baking soda volcano teach?

The baking soda volcano experiment is a great way to demonstrate a chemical reaction between an acid and a carbonate. When the carbonate (found in the baking soda) is exposed to the acids (found in the vinegar), it creates a decomposition reaction that releases carbon dioxide as gas. While this experiment is an example of an acid-base reaction, it’s also a great simulation of a real volcanic eruption.

Is there a baking soda volcano video?

This video shows how to make a volcano erupt using ingredients you can probably find in your kitchen.

Materials needed

To do the baking soda volcano experiment, you will need:

• Baking soda
• Food coloring
• Mini Paper Cups
• Plastic Volcano Form

Our free recording sheet is also helpful—fill out the form on this page to grab it.

Baking soda volcano experiment steps:

1. to start, place a tiny paper cup into the hole at the top of the plastic volcano mold..

2. Once your volcano is set up, pour 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda into the paper cup.

3. Next, add about a half cup of vinegar into a plastic measuring cup.

4. Add a few squirts of dish soap to the vinegar solution.

5. Add some squirts of red and yellow food coloring to the vinegar mixture.

6. Use a plastic spoon to mix all the ingredients in the plastic measuring cup together.

7. Pour the vinegar solution into the small paper cup at the top of the volcano.

8. Finally, watch and enjoy the eruption!

Grab our free baking soda volcano experiment worksheet

Fill out the form on this page to get your free worksheet. The worksheet asks kids to guess the correct order of the steps in the experiment. Next, kids must make a prediction about what they think will happen. They can use the provided spaces to draw what happens before and after they add the ingredients. Did their predictions come true?

Additional reflection questions

• What role does the dish soap play in the reaction that occurs?
• How would it be different if you added baking soda to the vinegar instead of the other way around?
• What do you think would happen if you added a different liquid than vinegar?
• What do you think would happen if you added more baking soda?

Can the baking soda volcano experiment be done for a science fair?

Yes! If you want to do this experiment for a science fair, we recommend switching up some of the variables. For example: Does the amount of baking soda matter? Does the type of dish soap? Form a hypothesis about how changing the variables will impact the experiment. Good luck!

Looking for more experiment ideas? Check out our  big list of experiment ideas here.

Plus, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters for more articles like this., you might also like.

16 Red-Hot Volcano Science Experiments and Kits For Classrooms or Science Fairs

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