Hovering Bubbles

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is heavier than most other molecules and elements in the air.  In the same way that Helium rises (think of party balloons), CO2 sinks.

With a very large bowl or container and lots and lots of vinegar and baking soda, you can make a little “puddle” of CO2.  When soap bubbles – which are filled with normal air – hover over this puddle, they float in place like beach balls sitting on top of a pool.  You can see this in the picture, but of course it’s much weirder-looking in person.  Bubbles serenely unmoving in midair.

A Giant Bowl. You need a bowl big enough that the CO2 can slosh around without completely seeping away.

Recipe for CO2. A back-of-the-napkin calculation shows that one big box of Baking Soda is good for about six big bottles of vinegar.  Their reaction produces CO2 gas and a big mess.

Bubbles! The classic recipe is 12 parts water to 1 part blue Dawn dish detergent.  A few tablespoons of glycerin (which can be bought at a pharmacy) help the bubbles last longer.  We tried some variations, like all-glycerin bubbles.  It also seemed like a good occasion for the Bubble Thing!

Finding the CO2 line. This Four Gas Tester, designed to check if air in a workplace is safe to breathe, showed that the air was normal above the bowl.  But when I dipped the sensor under where the bubbles were floating, red alarm lights indicated that the air was not breathable – too much CO2!