Sublimation Bubbles

TYPE: Short Activities
AUDIENCE: Ages 7 - Adult
TOPIC: Chemistry
In this activity, learners explore sublimation by capturing carbon dioxide gas in soapy bubbles sublimated from dry ice.
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DESCRIPTION

"Sublimation Bubbles" shows how some solid materials can sublimate directly into their gaseous form. Participants use water to observe dry ice sublimating into gaseous carbon dioxide, and then capture the gas in soapy bubbles.

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  • two learners and a facilitator watch a soapy solution with dry ice make a giant bubble filled with smoke
  • Two facilitators and two learners wearing goggles use colorful felt strips to layer bubbles upon each other
  • One learner drags a soapy felt strip over a bottle of dry ice to create bubbles while a caregiver watches
  • Two learners and a facilitator layer a bubble with a felt strip onto another bubble
  • Two learners blow bubbles using a soapy solution and straws
  • Two learners watch a facilitator make a bubble chain with a felt strip and soapy solution
  • two learners and a facilitator watch a soapy solution with dry ice make a giant bubble filled with smoke
  • Two facilitators and two learners wearing goggles use colorful felt strips to layer bubbles upon each other
  • One learner drags a soapy felt strip over a bottle of dry ice to create bubbles while a caregiver watches
  • Two learners and a facilitator layer a bubble with a felt strip onto another bubble
  • Two learners blow bubbles using a soapy solution and straws
  • Two learners watch a facilitator make a bubble chain with a felt strip and soapy solution

DESCRIPTION

"Sublimation Bubbles" shows how some solid materials can sublimate directly into their gaseous form. Participants use water to observe dry ice sublimating into gaseous carbon dioxide, and then capture the gas in soapy bubbles.

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES

TRAINING VIDEOS

OBJECTIVES

BIG IDEA

Chemistry can help us understand our world and learn about how materials behave and change.

Chemists use tools to discover and make new things.

LEARNING GOALS

  • Learners will develop positive attitudes toward learning about chemistry:

    • Learners will increase their feelings of interest in chemistry through hands-on exploration and observation of chemistry concepts and phenomena.
    • Learners will increase their sense of self-efficacy related to chemistry through hands-on interaction with exciting materials, and by successfully understanding how to do the activity.

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TYPE:
Educational Resources
AUDIENCE:
Ages 7 - Adult
LANGUAGES:
English Spanish
ADDITIONAL TOPICS: Physical Sciences Chemistry States of Matter Materials Science
KIT: Browse kit
KEYWORDS:

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2018
PROJECT
OWNING INSTITUTION

Museum of Science, Boston

FUNDING

Developed for the NISE Network with funding from the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DRL 1612482. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.