How to Pop a Balloon Without Touching it?

Can you imagine that you can pop a balloon without touching it? This experiment Pop Balloon With Lemon Peel is so amazing to try. When a spray of lemon peel juice touches the balloon, it immediately pops.

Ages: 5+                   Est. Time: < 10 mins

 Safety 

1. Adult supervision.
2. Not put sharp items into the balloon in case of hurting.
3. When the balloon pops, the sound might be loud. Remind people around you before you do this experiment.

 Materials List 

• Lemon
• Balloon
• Glitter powder (optional)
• Balloon air pump

 Instruction 

Step 1/2 – Pump up the balloon. (You can put some glitter power or something similar into the balloon to have a greater effect.)

Step 2/2 – Squeeze the lemon peel and let the juice drip onto the balloon. You can see that the balloon explodes the moment the peel juice touches the balloon.

 Troubleshooting 

Why doesn’t my balloon explode?

– Make sure the lemon peel juice is used instead of lemon juice.

 Scientific Description 

The balloon is made of a polymer material, latex. When it touches some organic solvents, it will be absorbed the organic solvent and expand. The lemon peel contains limonene, which has the same function as the organic solvents. It melts the balloon causing the balloon to explode.

 Extensions 

Give the orange peel a try instead of lemon peel and see if it works.

Lemon is an amazing material for many science experiments. We keep secret messages with lemon juice. 

Can you believe that a normal lemon can generate electricity? Well, let's see Lemon Battery

 Disposal 

The balloon and the lemon are treated as domestic wastes and do not forget washing what you have used.