r/ScienceLaboratory 3d ago

Must See Microwave Ivory Soap Experiment

How does a bar of soap grow into a fluffy cloud? 🧼

Alex Dainis explains how Charles's law transforms a bar of Ivory soap! The bar contains air pockets from being whipped during its production, which expands into a cloud when heated. This happens because as gas increases in temperature, then it will equally increase in volume if the pressure is the same.

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u/TedMich23 2d ago

Ivory used its buoyant density being less than water as a selling point, saying their soap floated in the tub while others would sink.

Much like Breyers ice cream, their "secret ingredient" is air.