Chemistry - Make your own Snowman

We have all been looking forward to the moment when we wake up in the morning and see everything outside covered in snow, but why wait for it when you can use chemistry to make your own snow! On the last Thursday of term, our enthusiastic KS3 chemists combined shaving cream and baking soda to make their own snow!

Real snow can be fun to play with, but it can get quite chilly! Our man-made snow however was slightly cold, so we were still able to play with it for as long as we wanted. The fake snow felt cold to the touch because an endothermic reaction was taking place (heat was absorbed from the surroundings).

Once our KS3 chemists were happy with their personalised snowmen, they added vinegar and noticed that what they created melted away. This is because another chemical reaction was taking place: the vinegar reacted with the baking soda, the result was a gas bubbling up in a watery solution.

A massive thanks to Pratik and Sana for their help and to Sophia and Zareena for taking and editing the video.