Mars

Materials
  • 2 glass jars 
  • A candle 
  • Modeling clay 
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar
  • Lighter or matches

Activity Directions 
  1. Watch the video on Mars linked below. 
  2. Test your understanding of Mars by playing a fun Quizizz game!
  3. Perform the Mars’ Atmosphere activity (Note: The experiment video linked below also walks you through the activity.)
    1. Begin by molding some clay onto the base of your candle and place the candle into your glass jar. 
    2. Then, using your lighter or matches, light the candle. (Note: This step requires caution and we strongly recommend getting the help of a parent or guardian.)
      1. Notice how your flame burns brightly and consistently. All flames need oxygen to burn, an invisible gas that is abundant on earth. 
    3. In the second jar, fill about 1/4th of your jar with baking soda. 
    4. Then, pour approximately an equal amount of vinegar into the jar with baking soda
    5. As the mixture begins to rise up, quickly tilt the jar over the jar with your lit candle, making sure not to spill the mixture anywhere. 
    6. Observe what happens!

      1. You should have seen that when you tilt the jar with the baking soda and vinegar solution over the jar with the lit candle, the flame goes out! 
      2. This phenomena occurs because mixing baking soda and vinegar causes a chemical reaction. Baking soda (a.k.a sodium bicarbonate) reacts with vinegar (a.k.a. Acetic acid) to form NaC2H3O2 and H2CO3 (carbonic acid). However, the carbonic acid formed is very unstable and quickly decomposes to form H2O (water) and CO2 (carbon dioxide).​​
Picture
Acetic Acid and Sodium Bicarbonate Reaction
Picture
Decomposition of Carbonic Acid
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​How this relates to Mars’ atmosphere: as mentioned earlier, fires need oxygen to burn. That was why the candle flame burned so well; Earth’s atmosphere has a lot of oxygen. However, Mars’ atmosphere is mainly carbon dioxide. When the baking soda/vinegar jar was tilted above the jar with the flame, the carbon dioxide produced from the reaction caused the flame to go out. This is why fires don’t form on Mars like they do on Earth!

Quizizz Link: https://quizizz.com/join/quiz/5f3e9d96f7f2c3001c6f5689/start?studentShare=true 

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Suggested Videos: 
Mars Video: https://youtu.be/I-88YWx71gE
Experiment Video: https://youtu.be/wqfoW54kgXQ

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Published 8.21.2020

Author: Rupali Venkatesan