✅ What you'll learn
- The science concept behind the experiment
- How to set it up safely
- What to observe and record
- Why the result happens
💡 Perfect if you're thinking...
The Ghost Glove experiment is a spooky, fun chemistry demo — a rubber glove inflates 'magically' on a bottle without anyone blowing into it! It's powered by a real chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar, and it teaches kids about gas reactions in a memorable, hands-on way.
🧪 What You Need
- A plastic bottle (500ml or larger)
- White vinegar (about 100ml)
- Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) — 2 tablespoons
- A rubber glove or balloon
- A funnel (helpful but optional)
- A tray (to catch any overflow)
How to Inflate the Ghost Glove Step by Step
- Set up on a tray — work over a tray so any spills are contained.
- Pour vinegar into the bottle — about 100ml of white vinegar.
- Put baking soda in the glove — using a funnel (or carefully by hand), put 2 tablespoons of baking soda into the rubber glove. The baking soda will collect in the fingertips.
- Stretch the glove over the bottle neck — without letting the baking soda fall in yet. Keep the glove drooping to one side so the baking soda stays in the fingers.
- Predict what will happen — what do you think will happen when the baking soda mixes with the vinegar?
- Lift the glove upright — let the baking soda fall down into the vinegar.
- Watch it fizz! — the mixture will fizz dramatically and the glove will inflate like a hand waving 'hello' — the Ghost Glove!
- Wait until it stops — the glove will stay inflated until the reaction finishes.
🔬 What's Happening? (The Science)
This is a classic acid-base reaction. Vinegar is an acid (acetic acid) and baking soda is a base (sodium bicarbonate). When they mix, they react to produce three things: water, a salt (sodium acetate), and lots of carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide gas has nowhere to go — the bottle is sealed by the glove — so it rushes up and inflates the glove, making it 'wave'! The same kind of reaction is used in baking: baking soda mixed with an acid (like lemon juice or buttermilk) makes cake batter rise because of those carbon dioxide bubbles.
🌟 Did You Know?
Carbon dioxide is the same gas you breathe out, the gas in fizzy drinks, and the gas used in fire extinguishers (because it's heavier than air and can smother flames). It's also the gas plants 'breathe in' to make their food through photosynthesis. So the gas inflating your Ghost Glove is the same gas helping a tree grow in your garden!
🎯 Try This: Experiment Variations
- Use double the baking soda — does the glove inflate bigger?
- Try warm vinegar versus cold vinegar — which reacts faster?
- Use a smaller bottle vs a larger one — which inflates the glove more?
- Time how long the reaction lasts and record it like a scientist.
📚 Sources & Further Reading
Written by Parikshet More (KidsFunLearnClub, Dubai) and reviewed for accuracy. Facts checked against the references above.
🧠 Quick Quiz — Test What You Learned!
Created by Parikshet & Dad
Hi! I'm Parikshet, an 11-year-old creator from Dubai who loves drawing, art, science experiments, and golf. My dad and I run KidsFunLearnClub to share fun learning activities with kids around the world. We've created over 1,900 tutorials and videos to help you learn and have fun!
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Explore AI for Kids → What is AI? Start hereFrequently Asked Questions
Why does the glove inflate by itself?
When baking soda (a base) mixes with vinegar (an acid), they react and produce carbon dioxide gas. The bottle is sealed by the glove, so all that gas rushes up and inflates the glove — making it look as if a ghost is waving hello from inside. It's a real chemical reaction, not magic, but it does feel like magic the first time you see it!
What is an acid-base reaction?
An acid-base reaction is when an acid and a base mix and react together, neutralising each other and often producing new substances. In this experiment, vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) react to make water, a salt called sodium acetate, and carbon dioxide gas — and it's the gas that inflates the glove.
Is this experiment safe?
Yes, with adult supervision. The ingredients are safe everyday items, but: don't taste the mixture; if vinegar gets in your eyes, rinse with water; wear safety goggles if you have them; work over a tray in case of overflow; and never seal the bottle with a hard lid (only the glove) because the gas pressure could pop a hard lid off.
Why is carbon dioxide gas important?
Carbon dioxide is everywhere! You breathe it out with every breath, it's what makes fizzy drinks bubbly, plants breathe it IN to make food through photosynthesis, and it's used in fire extinguishers to smother flames. Without carbon dioxide, plants couldn't grow — and without plants, we couldn't eat or breathe. It's also the gas inflating your Ghost Glove!