massive elephant toothpaste experiment

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How to Make Elephant Toothpaste

Last Updated: October 21, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA . Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,073,315 times.

Making elephant toothpaste is an easy and fun science experiment that you can do with your kids at home or with students in the lab. It is the result of a chemical reaction that creates a large amount of oozing foam. The movement of the foam looks like toothpaste squirting out of a tube while the amount of foam usually is enough for an elephant to brush its teeth.

Please be aware the concentrated hydrogen peroxide (greater than the household 3%) is a strong oxidizer. It may bleach skin and could possibly cause burns. Do not attempt without proper safety precautions and the presence of an adult. Also, the lab version includes potassium iodide, which can reach hot temperatures. If you are at home, we suggest you use water and dry yeast instead. Have fun with it, but be safe!

Ingredients

Home version.

• 1 ⁄ 2 cup (120 ml) of 6% hydrogen peroxide liquid
• 1 tablespoon (25.5 g) of dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons (44 ml) of warm water
• Liquid dish washing soap
• Food coloring
• Plastic bottles of all shapes

Lab version

• Liquid detergent
• 30% hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )
• Saturated solution of potassium iodide (KI)
• Graduated cylinder
• Food coloring (optional)

Preparing for the Experiment

• You can use 3% hydrogen peroxide for the experiment, though it may not produce as much foam as a 6% concentration.

Conducting the Home Version Experiment

• Depending on your child’s age, you can have them use a fun spoon and stirring tool. You can also have the put on goggles and a lab coat. Kid safety goggles can be found at your local hardware store.
• Check the yeast packaging to see how hot the water needs to be.

• If your child is too young, have them squeeze the dish soap and food coloring into the bottle. You can also add glitter to make it more fun. Make sure the glitter is plastic and not metal-based because peroxide should not be used with metal.
• Stir the mixture yourself or have your child do it if old enough. Be sure that the hydrogen peroxide is not spilled.

• The fungi in the yeast immediately cause the hydrogen peroxide to decompose and strip off an extra oxygen molecule. The yeast acts as a catalyst as it causes the hydrogen peroxide molecule to release an oxygen molecule. The stripped off oxygen molecule takes the form of a gas and once it hits the soap it creates fluffy foam bubbles, while the rest stays as water. The gas looks for an escape route and the foam “toothpaste” gushes out of the bottle. [5] X Research source
• Make sure the yeast and hydrogen peroxide are mixed well for optimum effect.

• With a regular soda bottle and 3% hydrogen peroxide, you will probably get a cascading effect like a chocolate fountain.

Adjusting the Experiment for a Lab Version

Expert Q&A

Reader Videos

• You might notice that the reaction produces heat. That's because the chemical process is exothermic, meaning that it releases energy. Thanks Helpful 12 Not Helpful 0
• Keep your gloves on when disposing of the elephant toothpaste. You can dump both the foam and the liquid down the drain. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 5
• Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) naturally breaks down into water (H 2 ) and oxygen over time. But you can speed up the process by adding a catalyst. And as the hydrogen peroxide releases a lot of oxygen at once in the presence of detergent, millions of little bubbles form quickly. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• You can use any type of liquid soap, but don’t use antibacterial soap if you use yeast because the soap will kill the yeast.

• Elephant toothpaste can stain! Thanks Helpful 19 Not Helpful 5
• The foam will overflow suddenly and quickly, especially in the chemistry lab version. Ensure this experiment is conducted on a washable, stain-resistant surface, and do not stand anywhere near the bottle or cylinder when it foams. Thanks Helpful 14 Not Helpful 3
• The resulting substance is called elephant toothpaste only because of its appearance. Don't put it in your mouth or swallow it. Thanks Helpful 16 Not Helpful 4
• This experiment cannot be done safely without goggles and gloves. Thanks Helpful 12 Not Helpful 10

Things You'll Need

• Safety goggles
• Disposable gloves
• Plastic soda bottle
• Tall graduated cylinder
• Liquid or powdered detergent
• Saturated solution of potassium iodide
• food coloring (optional)

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-hydrogen-peroxide-good-for/
• ↑ https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/elephant-toothpaste
• ↑ https://www.scitech.org.au/experiment/elephants-toothpaste/
• ↑ https://www.cmosc.org/elephant-toothpaste-science-experiment/
• ↑ https://sciencebob.com/fantastic-foamy-fountain/
• ↑ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/make-elephant-toothpaste/
• ↑ https://rutchem.rutgers.edu/cldf-demos/1019-cldf-demo-elephant-toothpaste

About This Article

To make elephant toothpaste, mix 3 tablespoons of warm water with 1 tablespoon of yeast in a bowl. Next, add dish soap, food coloring, and 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide in a bottle and mix the ingredients thoroughly. Then, pour the yeast mixture through a funnel into your bottle. Quickly stand back, remove the funnel, and watch your mixture erupt into a fluffy foam! For tips on adjustments you can make to get other effects, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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All Science Fair Projects

1000 science fair projects with complete instructions, explosive elephant toothpaste.

Method & Materials

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Related Science Fair Project Ideas

Elephant Toothpaste Explosion Experiment

Categories Science Experiments

We are big fans of creative STEM activities and science experiments for kids, which is why it’s a bit surprising that it’s taken us this long to do the classic elephant toothpaste explosion experiment!

The real reason is that this elephant toothpaste STEM project requires one sort of weird material- more concentrated hydrogen peroxide that is used to bleach hair.

Keep reading to find out how to transform this classic science demonstration into a real science lesson and STEM activity. If you love this activity, you’ll also like our entire unit of circus STEM activities!

If you’re like us, and have never tried this chemistry science experiment before, it’s super fun!

Kids love it and it’s an easy way to show how exothermic reactions work while still being relatively touch-safe.

What is the Purpose of Elephant Toothpaste?

Elephant toothpaste is nothing like toothpaste and it certainly isn’t meant for elephants.

I’m not sure where the elephant toothpaste description came from, except that when it comes out of a bottle, it looks a bit like toothpaste (particualrly if you dye it blue), and it’s big and frothy, so I suppose it would be the size an elephant would need to brush its teeth.

Elepahant toothpaste is actually a chemical reaction between yeast and hydrogen peroxide.

How Does Elephant Toothpaste Work?

The two main ingredients in elephant toothpaste (yeast and hydrogen peroxide) create a carbon dioxide gas, which creates large air bubbles that get trapped in soap, creating a frothy mixture that is fun to look at.

Elephant toothpaste is also an example of an exothermic reaction, meaning that the chemical reaction produces heat. If you put your hand near the foam as it is first emerging, you’ll feel a slight warmth.

It is not advised for kids to touch the foam.

Elephant Toothpaste STEM Project Directions

Follow along with these directions to make your own elephant toothpaste STEM project. Remember to stay safe, some of the ingredients in this project may irritate the skin or eyes, and may bleach clothing or furniture.

Elephant Toothpaste Hypothesis

Before starting the elephant toothpaste STEM activity, have the kids create a hypothesis. What do they think will happen when the ingredients mix?

You can also make a version with and without dish soap. How do the kids think the addition of the soap will change the reaction?

Elephant Toothpaste Questions

It’s always a good idea to ask questions and get kids thinking while doing science experiments. The elephant toothpaste science experiment is a good one to use as a examination of why it’s important to stay safe in the science lab.

Here are some questions you can ask the kids while doing this experiment:

• What is a chemical reaction?
• What is an exothermic reaction?
• Why does mixing the ingredients create a chemical byproduct?
• Would using differnet ingredients have the same reaction?
• Does changing the amount of each ingredient change the reaction?
• Why is it important to stay safe during a science experiment?

Elephant Toothpaste Conclusion

Children should come up with their own conclusions when doing this experiment (you can snag a copy of our STEM worksheet below), but some conclusions might include:

• When chemicals mix, they can react
• Changing the ingredients can change the reaction
• Some chemical reactions can be dangerous
• It’s important to take safety precautions when working with chemicals

What You Need for the Elephant Toothpaste Experiment

You’ll need a few things for this experiment:

• Active dry yeast
• 4 0 Volume Hydrogen Peroxide (find it at a local beauty store if you don’t want to ship it)
• Safety goggles ( these are perfect for kids)
• Food coloring ( these are our favorites )
• Large jar or bottle
• Large plastic tray

How to Do the Elephant Toothpaste Explosion Experiment

Mix 1 tablespoon of yeast with 3 tablespoons of slightly warm water in your jar.

Add some food coloring and stir.

Add about a tablespoon of dish soap to the liquid and stir carefully, so you don’t create too much froth.

Place the jar on the tray.

Put on your safety goggles. There is a small chance you might get some of the foam in your eyes while doing this experiment, so it’s important to stay safe!

Pour about 1/2 a cup of the hydrogen peroxide into a seperate cup.

When you are ready to start the reaction, carefully pour the hydrogen peroxide into the jar and watch things happen!

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