Elephant’s Toothpaste Experiment

On Wednesday, September 25th, SMACS met to complete their first experiment of the semester—the Elephant’s Toothpaste Experiment. In this experiment, a chemical reaction caused by the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide into water and gas produces an excess amount of a foamy substance that looks similar to toothpaste.

To complete the experiment, SMACS treasurer Ben Ilyaev set out a 500mL graduated cylinder in the center of the labyrinth behind Berliner Hall. He poured 200mL of thirty percent hydrogen peroxide, 2mL of dish soap, and yellow food coloring into the cylinder. After gently swirling the cylinder to combine these contents, he placed it back onto the ground to pour in 40mL of potassium iodide. The reaction occurred immediately, as potassium iodide is a catalyst that caused the hydrogen peroxide to break down at an increased rate.

Each Wednesday, SMACS meets during common hour in room 117 of Berliner Hall to plan and complete experiments like these. If you are interested in joining, look for meeting announcements from @hofstra.smacs or @hofstrachemistry, or send an email to Hofstra.SMACS@gmail.com!