Science Projects for Mixing Oil and Water
Oil and water are considered immiscible liquids, meaning they will not blend together to form a homogeneous mixture. However, they can be forced into a mixture under the right circumstances. There are some simple science experiments that can be done at home to help you understand the basic properties of oil and water, why they don't mix naturally, and how you can force oil and water to mix together.
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Food Coloring Explosions
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By using oil, water and food coloring, you can create an experiment that shows that oil and water don't mix. Fill a tall glass with cold water leaving an inch of space at the top. In another glass, mix a few drops of food color with a half inch of vegetable oil, stirring the food coloring into the oil to break up the globs of color. Slowly poor the vegetable oil into the tall glass of water and watch the oil float up to the surface. After a little time, the water-based food coloring will separate and sink to the bottom of the oil and begin to mix with the water, creating bursts of color.
Lava Lamp
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Create your own lava lamp. Fill a plastic soda bottle three-fourths full with vegetable oil. Top off the bottle with cold water. Add 10 drops of food coloring to make the water a dark color. Take one-eighth of an effervescent antacid tablet and add it to the soda bottle. After adding the tab, you will see colored water blobs work their way up to the surface and float back down again, just like a lava lamp.
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Sinking Oil
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An experiment that demonstrates that oil and water don't mix and shows that oil is less dense than water, can be completed with the use of oil, water and salt. Fill up a tall glass two-thirds full with water and then top it off with vegetable oil. Sprinkle some salt onto the oil and it will form a glob that will sink to the bottom of the glass. As the salt dissolves in the water, the less dense oil will float back to the surface of the water.
Emulsions
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Sometimes oil and water can be "mixed" together to form an emulsion. An emulsion occurs when a substance is added to the oil and water and stabilizes one within the other so that the oil and water don't separate. Dishwashing liquid is a type of emulsifier. For this experiment, take a small plastic soda bottle and fill it two-thirds full with water and top it off with vegetable oil. Put the lid on and shake the bottle up. Watch the oil separate from the water and float back up to the surface. Open the lid and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid, replace the lid and shake the bottle again. This time, watch as the oil and water remain mixed together without separating.
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References
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