Each year, Workforce Resource hosts “Career Venture,” an area event to help foster career and educational awareness for students. ChemCeed proudly participated in the 2022 Career Venture event, with lively chemistry demonstrations for more than 2,000 middle school students.
For this year’s event, we chose a fun experiment called “Elephant Toothpaste.” Using a few household items, students can create a giant foaming reaction that looks like it might be toothpaste foaming out of a giant tube – big enough for an elephant!
Combining hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with a catalyst, the oxygen is removed from the hydrogen and trapped by the dish soap to create bubbles. Our demonstration used yeast as a catalyst and 12% hydrogen peroxide, which creates a bigger reaction than standard 3% hydrogen peroxide.
We provided the students with a handout of instructions to try the standard experiment at home with adult supervision. The kids also received an adorable elephant keychain to help them “remember” how fun a career in science can be!
Career Venture was a great success, and we are proud to be a part of such a wonderful educational event. We look forward to attending again next year and hope our exhibit inspires young people to consider a future in STEM.
-
- Elephant Toothpaste