The lava lamp is an object of fascination for many children. However, you will not always have the time to buy one to please them. It is however possible to make one yourself .
Take this opportunity to introduce them to chemistry in a fun way. Before we show you how to do it, we would like to remind you what a lava lamp is.
Commercial Lava Lamp Overview
Also known as Astro light or Lava light, the lava lamp, in its traditional version sold in stores, was born in 1963. The inventor of this technology is none other than the Englishman Edward Craven Walker . It is recognizable by its elongated shape.
To make it work, the former pilot and photographer immersed wax bubbles in a non-miscible liquid, meaning it could not mix with the wax.
The heat from the incandescent bulb at the base of the lamp causes the wax bubbles to heat up. This causes the bubbles to reduce in mass and rise to the surface, which directly causes them to cool and sink back down towards the bulb. The principle of convection means that this cycle starts again and again each time the lamp is switched on.
The homemade lava lamp and how it works
The DIY lava lamp does not work permanently each time it is turned on , unlike its traditional competitor. It is only temporary. It no longer works at the end of the chemical reaction. It still allows you to enjoy a similar visual effect, but is not made up of the same ingredients. Its ingredients are:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Food coloring
- Vegetable oil (preferably rapeseed)
Baking soda and oil will form the bottom of the homemade lamp and a mixture of vinegar and dye will form the colored bubbles. At first, this mixture is immiscible with oil and has a higher mass than the oil. When it is poured into the oil, colored bubbles that fall towards the bottom of the lamp are generated.
Carbon dioxide will be released by the bubbles becoming lighter and rising to the surface due to the chemical reaction taking place between the vinegar and the bicarbonate. There will be a gradual disappearance of these bubbles as the reaction progresses until the vinegar is completely consumed.
The traditional version of the homemade lava lamp
If you are interested in this classic version of the DIY lava lamp, you will need to start by finding the ingredients you need. Then, put together a material consisting of a tall transparent glass vase, a glass and a pipette.
The preparation begins by pouring the bicarbonate (powder) into the bottom of the vase. You will only need 2 tablespoons. Continue by completely emptying a bottle of vegetable oil into the vase.
Then use the glass to mix the vinegar with a small amount of red food coloring. All you have to do is take the red liquid with a pipette and pour it drop by drop into the vase before letting the chemistry do the rest .
Another idea for having a colored lava lamp
If you want a multi-colored lava lamp , you'll need to opt for a slightly different recipe. This one will also have baking soda, sunflower oil, vinegar, and food coloring as ingredients, but in 3 different colors . It will also require the use of a tall, transparent vase, to which must be added 3 glasses and 3 pipettes.
Pour the baking soda into the vase before doing the same for the oil, but in a more gentle way to avoid it being mixed with the baking soda.
Continue the preparation by pouring the white vinegar into the three glasses before adding a small amount of food coloring of a different color in each glass.
Then, pour a few drops of vinegar of each color into the oil using the 3 pipettes. All that remains is to admire the spectacle after placing the vase on a light source.
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