How to Expand Ivory Soap
Gather the necessary materials., Cut the soap into four pieces., Microwave the soap on HIGH for 1 ½ - 2 minutes., Observe and touch the soap., Place the bar of soap in a bowl of water.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather the necessary materials.
To perform this experiment, you will need a bar of Ivory brand soap, a bowl, water, a knife, paper towels, a microwave-safe plate, and a microwave.
Parental supervision is recommended while performing this experiment.
All of these items should be easily accessible at home.
The soap can be purchased at any grocery store or big box store.The bar of soap must be Ivory brand for this to work properly. -
Step 2: Cut the soap into four pieces.
With adult supervision, use the knife to cut the bar of soap into four approximately equal pieces.
Separating the soap will make it heat faster and expand better in the microwave.Put the soap pieces on a microwave-safe plate. , Place the plate of soap in the microwave and set the time for two minutes.
Watch the bar of soap as it begins to expand and erupt into beautiful puffy clouds.
Make sure an adult is present during this step and stop the microwave once the soap stops expanding.Avoid overcooking the soap as this can cause it to burn.
Leave the “soap soufflé” in the microwave for at 1-2 minutes to let it cool. , Once the soap has fully cooled, handle it and see what it feels like.
It may look like a giant marshmallow, but you’ll notice that it is still rigid like the original bar of soap.
You can still use it like soap as well; just break off pieces.The soap expands because there are water molecules in the tiny pockets of air.
When the soap is heated, the water vaporizes and the trapped air expands.
The heat also makes the soap softer, allowing these expanding air pockets to cause the whole bar to blow up like a cloud.
Try the same experiment with a different brand of soap.
You’ll notice that the soap doesn’t expand like the Ivory soap does because it doesn’t have air pockets. , Before (or after) you perform the experiment, you can do a small test to see if the soap floats.
Fill your bowl with water until it is about two-thirds full.
Drop the bar into the water and observe what happens.
You will notice that the soap floats.
If you have other bars of soap that aren’t Ivory brand, drop them in the water and see what happens.
They will sink to the bottom of the container.The Ivory brand soap floats because it has lots of tiny air pockets inside it.
These tiny air pockets are what allows the soap to expand the way it does when it is heated.
Remove the soap from the water and let it dry before microwaving it. -
Step 3: Microwave the soap on HIGH for 1 ½ - 2 minutes.
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Step 4: Observe and touch the soap.
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Step 5: Place the bar of soap in a bowl of water.
Detailed Guide
To perform this experiment, you will need a bar of Ivory brand soap, a bowl, water, a knife, paper towels, a microwave-safe plate, and a microwave.
Parental supervision is recommended while performing this experiment.
All of these items should be easily accessible at home.
The soap can be purchased at any grocery store or big box store.The bar of soap must be Ivory brand for this to work properly.
With adult supervision, use the knife to cut the bar of soap into four approximately equal pieces.
Separating the soap will make it heat faster and expand better in the microwave.Put the soap pieces on a microwave-safe plate. , Place the plate of soap in the microwave and set the time for two minutes.
Watch the bar of soap as it begins to expand and erupt into beautiful puffy clouds.
Make sure an adult is present during this step and stop the microwave once the soap stops expanding.Avoid overcooking the soap as this can cause it to burn.
Leave the “soap soufflé” in the microwave for at 1-2 minutes to let it cool. , Once the soap has fully cooled, handle it and see what it feels like.
It may look like a giant marshmallow, but you’ll notice that it is still rigid like the original bar of soap.
You can still use it like soap as well; just break off pieces.The soap expands because there are water molecules in the tiny pockets of air.
When the soap is heated, the water vaporizes and the trapped air expands.
The heat also makes the soap softer, allowing these expanding air pockets to cause the whole bar to blow up like a cloud.
Try the same experiment with a different brand of soap.
You’ll notice that the soap doesn’t expand like the Ivory soap does because it doesn’t have air pockets. , Before (or after) you perform the experiment, you can do a small test to see if the soap floats.
Fill your bowl with water until it is about two-thirds full.
Drop the bar into the water and observe what happens.
You will notice that the soap floats.
If you have other bars of soap that aren’t Ivory brand, drop them in the water and see what happens.
They will sink to the bottom of the container.The Ivory brand soap floats because it has lots of tiny air pockets inside it.
These tiny air pockets are what allows the soap to expand the way it does when it is heated.
Remove the soap from the water and let it dry before microwaving it.
About the Author
Diana Miller
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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