Any secondary teachers out there that teact science to Y7?

[earlgrey]

My nephedw has just moved from London to Oxford - and we're all glad about it. He did a science project at school, wanted to show his cousins about it, but he's got it all wrong. It's about bubbles, calcium, and them exploding when you hit them with a lighted splinter.

Any ideas? TIA

DD did something similar this week in yr 7. Aparently the teacher attached a pipe to the gas tap and the other end into a plastic bottle of water and washing up liquid. He turned the gas on and when the bottle filled up with bubbles, the children wet their hands with water and poured the bubbles on. Then they lit them. It made a flame and as the bubbles disappeared, so did the flame. Does that sound familiar?

Thank you MaureenM'love. It does sound familiar, but far too dangerous to recreate in our kitchen!

Now, how to otherwise utilise 500g of Calcium Carbonate .....

You can rig up lab equipment to make hydrogen bubbles.

You basically add acid to a metal (eg magnesium) in a closed flask, with a delivery tube leading to a basin of water and Fairy Liquid. The hydrogen that is generated in the reaction creates bubbles, which explode when you put a lighted splint to them.

It won't work with calcium carbonate, I'm afraid.