Science Night a chance for IC students to have fun with chemistry

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Bob Durrwachter and Curt Barns proved one thing at Immaculate Conception School on Thursday night.

Science can be fun.

Whether it was creating lava lamps, using chemicals to make a mirror or coming up with the right mixture to produce “elephant toothpaste,” kids had a blast on Science Night at the Catholic elementary school in Charles City on Thursday.

Durrwachter and Barns are chemists at Cambrex, the pharmaceutical manufacturer in Charles City. The facility sponsored the event that featured experiments performed by the chemists.

Barns made carbonic acid out of carbon dioxide. This caused a reaction of bubbles and dry ice to form out of the huge colored glass test tubes into which Barns poured his solution.

This received many oohs and ahhs from the transfixed crowd.

Later on, Durrwachter would combine silver nitrate, ammonia and sugar to create a liquid mirror inside a glass tube.

He would also produce a chemical reaction that saw a blast of fire skyrocket into the air when the gymnasium’s lights were turned off. The fire was started by blowing oxygen through a tube that funnelled its way into a container that held wood fibers, or what is also called powdered cellulose

“That’s why size is important, because in order for wood to burn, it has to get hot,” said Durrwachter.

Another highlight of the evening saw Barns produce “elephant toothpaste. This creation is a chemical reaction produced when hydrogen peroxide that is mixed with soap is then added to potassium iodide to create a gigantic foam volcano that spews out of the glass container.

Students ended the evening by making their own lava lamps with vegetable oil and food coloring at five tables set up in the gym.