Smog in a bottle
Science Lesson Plan Demonstration Gr. K-12 with supervision.

One problem with traditional energy sources like coal, oil, and gas
is that they produce gasses and tiny particles that can foul the air
and produce smog when tiny droplets of water condense around them.

1. Make Smog in a Bottle
Say: Sometimes the little drops of water the air has sucked up join bits of other stuff, like dust or smoke, that comes from chimneys and autos. Then the little drops become haze, and everything outside looks kind of fuzzy. If enough water and smoke mix, we call it a mixture of smoke and fog, or smog.

2. Here’s how to make some smog in a bottle. Any glass pitcher will do, or use a two liter soda bottle with the top cut off. Put some ice cubes in a baggie, pour an inch or two of warm water into the bottle, light a match and hold it inside the bottle for a second and then drop it into the water, close the top with the baggie, and watch the smog form inside as the warm, wet, smoky air rises up to touch the cold baggie (Smog 1). Count to 30 seconds, take the baggie off the top and watch the smog rise into the air (Smog 2). If it’s a sunny day, do all this near a window where the sun can shine in and light up the smog.

Materials: A two liter bottle with 2 inches of warm water, a baggie full of ice, a match.