Valentine's Day Wack-a-Pack and Chemical Reactions

Wack-A-Pack balloons are both educational and entertaining. Simply smack the pack with your hand and it self-inflates. The pop is not very loud, but equivalent to the popping of a bag of chips. The balloon then begins to inflate and takes about 30 seconds to completely inflate. 

As explained on the package, “Smack the pack and shake THEN QUICKLY THROW ON FLOOR. A chemical reaction of the citric acid (Vitamin C), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and distilled water will create a small bang and inflate the balloons.”

When sodium bicarbonate is combined with citric acid (vitamin C) and distilled water, there is a chemical reaction that creates a large bang. When punching the small bag, it causes all these chemicals to react and inflate the bag and balloon inside and causes the bag to explode. This is essentially what gives Alla-Seltzer it's fizz when added to water. The complete neutralization reaction is .... 

H₃C₆H₅O₇(aq) + 3NaHCO₃(aq) --> Na₃C₆H₅O₇(aq) + 3CO₂(g) + 3H₂O(l) 

The CO₂ gas coming off gives the solution its fizz. Inflated balloons measure 4x3¼x1¼".

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Follow procedures to collect data while changing more than one variable.
• Create line graphs to represent the data.
• Interpret data to predict overall behavior of multiple variables.
• Describe how this activity applies engineering design principals including cost analysis.

Standard-Aligned Goals:

1. Math competency: Skills and appreciation for data collection and analysis used in real life.
2. Quantitative literacy: Ability to follow procedures and provide recommendations.
3. Engineering applications: engineering design process, cost considerations corresponding to performance.
4. Cultural relevancy: How to follow procedures, collaborative work in small groups and hands-on activities.