Citrus Volcanoes Experiment

Materials you’ll need

• A variety of citrus fruits (lemons, limes, grapefruit, etc.)

• Baking soda
• Knife
• Fork
• Spoon
• Plate or tray

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1: Grab a grownup and have them slice your fruit in half. Set one half to the side.

Step 2: Using a fork, poke the fruit’s flesh to make it even juicier.

Step 3: Sprinkle a spoonful of baking soda over the top of your fruit halves. Your volcano should start to erupt!

Tip! If your reaction isn’t strong enough, try squeezing the juice of the other half of your fruit over your volcano to get the fizz started.

Learn more

This is a citrus twist on the well-known baking soda/vinegar volcano! The acidity of vinegar fuels this classic reaction, so we’ll be replacing it with another acidic item: fruit. The juice from citrus fruits contains citric acid which, when mixed with a base (like baking soda), reacts to form bubbles made of carbon dioxide gas. When using fruits that are more acidic for our volcanoes, we get bigger reactions! But fruits that are sweeter, or less acidic, create a smaller reaction.