Making Carbon Dioxide
Big Idea:
At the end of the Permian Period, massive volcanic eruptions released enormous amounts of carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere. This activity models how quickly carbon dioxide gas can build up—and how gases can change Earth’s systems.

Learning Goal
Students will observe how carbon dioxide gas is produced and trapped, helping them understand how rising gases during the Great Dying affected Earth’s climate and life.

Materials

• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• 1 empty plastic bottle (small works best)
• 1 balloon
• Funnel or rolled paper (optional)
• Spoon or measuring cup
• Tray or towel (for spills)

Safety Notes

• Adult supervision recommended
• Do not taste materials
• Perform on a washable surface
• Do not overfill the balloon (stop if it stretches too much)

Set-Up

1. Place the empty bottle upright on a tray or towel.
2. Pour vinegar into the bottle (about ½ cup).
3. Use a funnel or spoon to put baking soda into the balloon (2–3 tablespoons).
4. Carefully stretch the balloon opening over the bottle’s mouth without letting the baking soda fall in yet.

Activity Steps

1. Ask your child to predict what will happen when the baking soda mixes with the vinegar.
2. When ready, lift the balloon so the baking soda falls into the bottle.
3. Watch as bubbles form and the balloon inflates.
4. Once the reaction stops, gently touch the balloon and observe its size.

What’s Happening? (Caregiver Explanation)
When baking soda and vinegar mix, they create carbon dioxide gas. Because the gas has nowhere to go, it fills the balloon and makes it expand. During the Great Dying, huge volcanic eruptions released vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, much more than in this experiment. That gas trapped heat, warmed the planet, changed the oceans, and made it very hard for plants and animals to survive. This balloon shows how invisible gases can build up quickly and have powerful effects.

Discussion Questions

1. What made the balloon inflate?
   Carbon dioxide gas was made when the baking soda and vinegar reacted.
2. Where did the gas go?
   It filled the balloon because it couldn’t escape.
3. How is this like what happened during the Great Dying?
   Volcanoes released carbon dioxide into the air, and it built up instead of disappearing.
4. Why was that dangerous for life on Earth?
   The gas trapped heat and changed the climate and oceans, making survival very difficult.

Optional Extensions

• Try using more or less baking soda—does the balloon change size?
• Compare this to breathing: where does the air go when you blow up a balloon?
• For older learners, introduce the term greenhouse gas and discuss heat trapping.

Key Takeaway for Kids
Even though we can’t see gases, they can change the entire planet. During the Great Dying, too much carbon dioxide helped cause the largest extinction in Earth’s history.