Hands-On: Making Carbon Dioxide

Making Carbon Dioxide


Big Idea:

At the end of the Permian period, massive volcanic eruptions in what is now Siberia released extraordinary amounts of carbon dioxide over roughly a million years. This activity models how CO2 gas builds up and traps heat.  Thi was the mechanism behind the worst mass extinction in Earth's history.

Materials:

  • Baking soda (2 to 3 tablespoons)
  • Vinegar (about half a cup)
  • 1 small empty plastic bottle
  • 1 balloon
  • A funnel or rolled paper (optional)
  • A tray or towel for spills
  • Safety note: adult supervision recommended. Do not overfill the balloon.

What to Do:


Step 1: Set Up

Place the empty bottle upright on the tray. Pour vinegar into the bottle. Use the funnel to put baking soda into the balloon. Do not mix them yet.


Step 2: Make Predictions

Before mixing: what will happen when the baking soda meets the vinegar? Where will the CO2 go? Record predictions on the lab sheet.


Step 3: Run the Reaction

Carefully stretch the balloon over the mouth of the bottle without letting the baking soda fall in yet. Once the balloon is secured, lift it so the baking soda falls into the vinegar. Watch the balloon inflate.


Step 4: Observe and Record

How large did the balloon get? How fast did the reaction happen? Is the reaction still continuing, or has it stopped?


Step 5: The Permian Connection

"The Siberian Traps (a massive region of volcanic rock in Russia) erupted for about a million years at the end of the Permian period. The CO2 released was staggering in scale. In your balloon, CO2 was trapped. In Earth's atmosphere, trapped CO2 is a greenhouse gas that raises temperatures. Warmer temperatures acidify oceans, reduce oxygen in water, and collapse food webs."


Step 6: Discuss

  • The Great Dying killed about 96% of marine species and 70% of land species. If CO2 build-up was the main cause, trace the chain of events: volcanic eruption leads to what? That leads to what? And then?
  • What eventually stopped the Great Dying? What brought CO2 levels back down?

What's Really Happening (Caregiver Explanation):

The Permian-Triassic extinction (the Great Dying) was the worst mass extinction in Earth's history, and the leading cause was the Siberian Traps volcanic event. Eruptions over roughly a million years injected enormous quantities of CO2 and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, triggering runaway greenhouse warming, ocean acidification, and ocean anoxia (loss of dissolved oxygen). The cascade of effects dismantled food webs from the bottom up. About 96% of marine species and 70% of land species went extinct. Recovery took approximately 10 million years. The PhET Greenhouse Effect simulator at phet.colorado.edu provides an excellent visual model of how CO2 traps heat in an atmosphere.

Digging Deeper:

Use the PhET 'Greenhouse Effect' simulator at phet.colorado.edu. Set it to the 'Ice Age' and then 'Today' and then add extra greenhouse gases to simulate what happened during the Great Dying. Then research the Siberian Traps, the massive volcanic region that erupted for roughly a million years and is the leading cause of the Permian extinction. How much CO2 did those eruptions release, and how does that compare to modern human emissions?