Who among us didn’t love balloons as a child? One look at colorful balls, aiming for the sky, was enough to create a festive mood and expect something good. And such a picture leaves a rare adult indifferent. It’s not for nothing that celebrations of any scale are rarely complete without balloons. True, filling balloons with helium nowadays is an expensive pleasure. That's why we bring to your attention this anti-crisis life hack and curious chemical experiment at the same time. Cheap and cheerful!
To make any balloon fly upward even without a helium tank, you will need the following ingredients:
1. Glass vessel with a narrow throat;
2. Half a liter of water;
3. Foil;
4. Pipe cleaner in granules ( sodium hydroxide);
5. Balloon
Make about a dozen balls from small pieces of foil. They should fit easily into the neck of the vessel.
Place drain cleaner granules into a container.
Pour half a liter of water into the flask.
Now pour the balls inside.
The chemical reaction will begin to occur almost immediately, so hurry up to “put” the ball on the neck of the flask. The main condition is not to shake the mixture.. Otherwise, at best, your ball will not fly, and at worst, it will explode. Instead, let both the container and the ball on top cool for half a minute before removing and tying.
Preparations for the holiday should be thorough, especially for events for children. Boys and girls are indescribably delighted when they see helium balloons pointing upward. Such festive attributes give the atmosphere a special atmosphere, but it is not always possible to assemble a composition from balloons from professionals. In emergency cases, you have to look alternative ways at home.
Table salt and copper sulfate
Prepare in advance cool filtered water, food foil, glass bottle, table salt and copper sulfate. To avoid skin damage, wear rubber gloves, a lab coat and clear protective goggles.
- Unfold a sheet of foil and cut a plate measuring 18*18 cm into thin lines of about 0.5 cm, then send the strips into a liter glass bottle. Then add 75 g. copper sulfate and 85 gr. crushed table salt. Immediately cover the neck with your hand to prevent a reaction due to the admission of oxygen.
- On at this stage You will need the help of a friend, since the procedure must be carried out quickly. Pour 430 ml into a bottle. filtered water, quickly put a ball on the neck and hold it at the base. Please note that the reaction will begin instantly, you will know this by the state of the mixture; it will go into the gaseous phase.
- Try not to waste the mixture; one such composition is enough for several balls. On average, one balloon will take about 4 seconds to inflate, so don't hesitate.
Important!
Do not bring your face close to the bottle with the mixture to avoid damage to the skin and mucous membranes of the eyes. If the balloon bursts or falls off the neck, you could be seriously injured. Hold the vessel at arm's length.
When will it start chemical reaction, the bottle will become hot in a short time. To avoid burns, you can dip it in cool water or press it with an unnecessary cloth/towel.
Sodium hydroxide
The alkaline solution is dangerous for the skin, so be sure to wear gloves, a gown, and safety glasses. Sodium hydroxide is a mixture caustic soda and concentrated (caustic) sodium, which in itself is unsafe. Carry out the procedure away from children and pets, be sure to ventilate the room before and after inflating the balloons.
Prepare warm filtered water, sodium hydroxide (lye), industrial or hookah foil (thick), and a liter glass bottle.
- Fill a bottle with 450 ml. clean warm water.
- Take one plate of foil measuring 20*20 cm. Divide it into thin lines or chop it into very small pieces, add it to a reservoir of water.
- Measure out exactly 20 grams. sodium hydroxide and carefully pour it into the bottle, be sure to do this while wearing gloves.
- Pull the base of the ball over the neck of the vessel, clamp it well so that the ball does not fly off.
- Shake the container until the foil is completely immersed in the mixture.
- You will see that the balloon will begin to inflate, do not try to take in too much helium at a time, it is better to stretch the composition into several doses.
This technique is considered the safest because it does not include alkali or other industrial concentrates. However, precautions must be followed. Always use silicone or rubber gloves, wear glasses, and a gown.
Prepare a vinegar solution (ordinary table vinegar), its concentration should not exceed 9%. Make sure you have baking soda on hand.
- The peculiarity of the method is that the composition is poured not only into the bottle, but also into the ball. Pour 45-55 ml into the vessel. vinegar solution, pour 30 grams into the ball. baking soda, then place its base over the neck of the container.
- Carefully turn the ball over so that the baking soda pours into the vinegar. The reaction will occur instantly: the container will become warm and the balloon will begin to inflate.
- To fill the next balls, clean the cavity of the bottle from the previous composition, wipe dry and repeat the manipulations. The container must be dry, otherwise moisture will suppress the reaction.
Electrodes and battery
To prepare the composition, you will need to acquire a 12-watt battery, an electrolyte (sulfuric acid or potassium hydroxide will do), and graphite electrodes (not copper!). In addition to the main components, make sure you have two liter plastic bottles, a plastic laundry basin and clean filtered water. As with all previous methods, protect your skin and eyes (wear a gown, gloves, goggles).
- Take a 15-liter basin, fill it clean water half.
- Pour potassium hydroxide/sulfuric acid (electrolyte) into the first liter bottle, retreating from the edge of the neck by 3-4 cm.
- Take the ball and place the base on the hole in the container, then make small holes in the bottom of the container and insert the electrode. Maintain tightness; the holes should not be wide so that the device fits tightly into the vessel.
- Do the same with the second bottle, following the sequence. When everything is ready, move on to the next step.
- Place both bottles in a basin, place the battery next to it and connect the electrodes to it, observing the polarity (plus “+”, minus “-”).
- Connect the battery to a power source and watch for the reaction to begin.
An important feature of this method is that only one ball, located on the side with negative polarity, will be able to rise upward (it will be filled with hydrogen). The second ball will be saturated with oxygen, so it will be of little use.
Make sure you have on hand in advance necessary materials and tools, follow safety precautions. Complex methods using electrodes and a battery, as well as sodium hydroxide should be entrusted to a man. Women will be able to make the preparation of a mixture of soda and vinegar, salt and copper sulfate a reality.
Video: DIY flying balloon without helium
A flying balloon is perfect for any holiday event. Typically, commercial flying balloons are filled with a light, volatile gas such as helium. It is almost impossible to obtain such gas at home without special equipment. But helium is not the only gas that can be used for such purposes. At home, you can easily obtain hydrogen, which is also suitable.
But here it is worth considering that hydrogen is extremely explosive, so it is undesirable to make more than one ball. In general, the entire experiment must be carried out outside the home and in the open air.
Will need
For the experiment we will need:- - aluminium foil,
- - pipe cleaner (Titanium, Mole) - Caution! Alkali!
- - plastic bottle,
- - bucket with water,
- - rubber ball,
- - funnel,
- - water,
- - etc.
Making a flying ball with your own hands
When conducting the experiment, be sure to use rubber gloves and special glasses to protect your eyes!First of all, roll the kitchen foil into small strips and cut into small pieces. And collect it in a small plastic cup.
We got 7 grams, you can take more foil, the reaction will proceed faster and there will be more hydrogen.
We also take a pipe cleaner (TITANIUM or MOLE) in granules, 19 grams is enough for us. Be careful this is a caustic substance, wear rubber gloves. If you get it on your hands, rinse with plenty of water.
Next, take a plastic bottle, fill it one third with water, and lower it into a bucket with cold water. For convenience, we take a funnel and pour our aluminum crumbs and pipe cleaner into the bottle, after which we quickly put the ball on the neck of the bottle so as not to release the hydrogen. It is better to insulate the neck of the bottle with electrical tape.
The reaction begins, the balloon is completely inflated in about 15-20 minutes, the plastic bottle is heated and so that it does not melt from overheating, it is dipped into a bucket of cold water.
As a result of the reaction of aluminum, sodium hydroxide and water, sodium tetrahydroxyaluminate and hydrogen are formed, which inflates our balloon.
When the ball is inflated, we squeeze the bottle so that part of the hydrogen from the bottle goes into the ball, twist the tail tighter and remove the electrical tape, after which we remove the ball from the neck.
We rinse the tail with water; if our balloon is not fully inflated, you can inflate it a little like a regular balloon.
We ask someone to hold the ball and tie the tail tightly.
The ball flies very well and will delight you and your children. To prevent the balloon from deflating in half a day, use a gel for flying balloons, for example, “hi float”.
Conclusion
At the end of the experiment, I would like to add that such a ball will descend to the ground after about 6-12 hours of flight. To increase this time, you can use a special gel, which is sprayed in specialized stores that sell such balls.Be careful: a pipe cleaner (Titanium, Mole) is used to make the ball - this is a caustic alkali, be extremely careful!
Also inflated balloon do not bring it close to the fire. Otherwise, the hydrogen in the ball will make a loud bang.
Balloons can decorate any holiday and create a unique atmosphere in the room.
Inflate the balloon first until maximum size, and then release 10% of the air from it, this can extend the life of the balloon, since its surface will become more elastic.
Before filling the balloon with helium, fill it with air and then deflate it. This additional maneuver will increase the size of the balloon when inflated with helium by 10% and increase its service life. This will also prevent gas leakage if the ball is defective.
You should not inflate balloons with helium in advance, because inflated balloons will be able to stay in the air for no more than 18 hours (with a diameter of 30 cm). It is best to inflate the balloons directly on the day of the celebration.
Sources:
- how to inflate balloons
You can inflate balloons at home using a homemade hydrogen installation. To make it you will need a bottle, copper sulfate, salt, a syringe, a hose and copper and aluminum wire.
Balloons are an invariable attribute of the holiday, but what to do if you have to inflate a large number of balloons, but no helium cylinders? No problem. You can make your own hydrogen without even leaving your home. To do this you will need a simple plastic bottle, a syringe, a hose, a natural cork, copper sulfate, copper wire, aluminum wire, or better yet aluminum foil, sealant, table salt and the balloons themselves.
You can use an aluminum can as a replacement for aluminum wire or foil, the only condition is that you need to clean it inner surface from paint and protective polymer layer. And one more thing - it is better to carry out all work wearing protective gloves and goggles.
Stages of assembling a hydrogen plant
You need to drill two holes in the bottle cap: one for the hose, the other for the syringe. For better fastening of the syringe, it is advisable to make a thread on its tip and in one of the holes on the cap. Secure the syringe and hose in the holes made, and coat the joints with sealant. Place a plug on the free end of the hose - it will secure the ball. You need to attach a copper wire to the syringe piston, and also treat the joint with sealant. An aluminum wire or crumpled foil must be tied to the free end of the attached wire. The piston will ensure free movement of the aluminum reagent in the bottle.
By inserting the aluminum reagent into the bottle and closing the cap, you can get a ready-made hydrogen plant. To start using it, you need to remove the cap from the bottle along with the aluminum reagent, and pour copper sulfate and table salt into the bottle in a 1:1 ratio. Pour in water and wait until the mixture is completely dissolved. The contents of the bottle need cold, for this it can be placed in a bowl of cold water. A balloon is placed on the plug fixed at the end of the hose, after which the aluminum must be immersed in a solution of vitriol and salt and the lid must be screwed on.
How does the process of inflating a balloon take place?
The reaction will follow immediately: the released hydrogen will fill the ball. As the aluminum oxide film dissolves and the solution heats up, the reaction will only accelerate. If the hydrogen evolution is too vigorous, you can remove the aluminum from the solution by pulling the syringe plunger towards you. Pulling the balloon directly onto the neck of the bottle is strictly prohibited! The resulting balls can be left as they are, or you can cover them with white or black bags, and also attach an LED and launch the ball in the dark.
When decorating holidays with balloons, balloons inflated with helium are often used. We'll tell you how to properly inflate and tie balloons with helium.
You will need
- - a compressed helium cylinder (volume 10 liters or 40 liters);
- - latex balloons size 12";
- - braid for tying inflated balloons - decorative polypropylene tape 5 mm wide;
- - scissors for cutting the braid.
Instructions
We install the helium gas cylinder correctly and safely. When inflating balloons with helium, the balloon must be installed in a manner that prevents it from falling, tipping over, or moving in any way. Large cylinders (40 l) are placed in a standing position. Small cylinders (10 l) can be placed horizontally, provided they are securely fixed to the table or floor.
We prepare the braid. To tie helium balloons, as a rule, pieces of braid 1.5 m long are used. We cut the required number of ends of the braid (according to the number of balloons) with scissors. For children's parties, the ends of the braid are made longer: 2.0-2.5 m - so that children can reach them. The main thing is that all ends of the braid are of equal length.
Balloons are an integral attribute of special events. Therefore, in this material we tell you how to inflate a balloon without helium. To make it fly, you need to use one of the methods suggested below at home.
Ways to inflate a balloon without helium to make it fly
Since you can’t inflate a balloon with helium without a balloon, we recommend choosing an alternative. It’s quite easy to do this at home by looking at our life hacks.
No. 1. Alkali
To carry out manipulations using the hydrogen method, you need to take:
- heated water;
- flask;
- foil;
- teaspoon;
- alkali (for example, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda)).
1. Pour water into the flask to fill the container ½ full. Place foil cut into small pieces inside.
2. Measure out 3 tablespoons of baking soda and add. Now, without hesitation, pull the ball onto the neck of the flask.
3. Shake the container to start the reaction of the foil with sodium hydroxide. Hold the ball by the elastic band; it should not fall off.
4. When the pieces of foil dissolve and the balloon is inflated to your needs, remove it and make a knot.
Now you know how to do gel ball at home.
No. 2. Battery with electrodes
Prepare the following:
- plastic basin (volume 15 l.);
- plastic bottles (2 pieces, 1 liter each);
- purified water;
- battery (12 Watt);
- electrolyte (sulfuric acid);
- electrode (not strictly copper, but graphite).
Before inflating a balloon without helium, be sure to protect your eyes, breathing passages and skin. To make it fly, it's better to follow step-by-step instructions at home.
1. Pour water into a basin so that the liquid fills about ½ of the container. Now take plastic bottle 1, fill it with electrolyte, moving 3 cm away from the neck.
2. Pull the ball over the top. Now make very tight holes at the bottom of the bottle by inserting an electrode into them. The device must fit tightly enough so that the composition does not leak out.
3. Do the same with bottle 2. Now place these containers in the basin, place a battery nearby with the electrodes connected to it (stick to +,- polarity).
4. Plug in the battery and observe the process. A ball stretched over a bottle with “-” polarity will be filled with hydrogen and rise, and the second will be filled with oxygen, but will not fly.
No. 3. Copper sulfate with salt
Before inflating a balloon without helium, you need to prepare in advance:
- cool purified water;
- glass bottle;
- foil;
- table salt;
- copper sulfate.
To make it fly, follow these simple instructions at home. Protect your hands with gloves and wear goggles for protection.
1. From a piece of foil 20*20 cm, you need to cut strips of about 5 mm. Place the finished ribbons in a glass bottle.
2. Pour 85 g into the same container. salt and 75 gr. vitriol. Close the neck immediately. Due to the supply of oxygen, a reaction will begin.
3. You can’t do it without an assistant, so act quickly. Pour 0.45 liters into the bottle. purified water. Immediately place the balloon on the neck.
4. Hold it, otherwise it will fly off. The reaction will begin instantly. You will be able to inflate several balloons, so don't waste gas.
