Science & Tech

World’s Biggest ‘Elephant’s Toothpaste’ Erupts in Foam Volcano

by Matthew Hart
Dec 20 2019 • 3:43 PM

Earlier this year, Nick Uhas, David Dobrik and some other members of the latter’s Vlog Squad, attempted to pull off the world’s largest “elephant’s toothpaste” experiment. And even though it went according to plan, YouTuber and former NASA engineer, Mark Rober, contested the achievement, saying that his own pool-sized elephant’s toothpaste was actually the largest.

In response, Uhas and Dobrik teamed up again. And they delivered what is unquestionably the world’s largest elephant’s toothpaste display. (Although it should be noted that no Guinness Book of World Records judge was there.)

Nick Uhas’s video of the record-setting elephant’s toothpaste experiment. 

The gargantuan elephant’s toothpaste experiment has gone viral on YouTube, earning an especially large view count from the video posted by Dobrik. Despite the fact that Uha’s video has far fewer views, however, it seems like the more relevant of the two in terms of the science, so it’s been posted above. Dobrik’s video, which is raunchier and less focused, can be found here.

Uhas starts his video by explaining the background of the competition, noting that in order to outdo the elephant’s toothpaste grown by Rober (who was joined by Science Bob), he decided to “just go insanely big.” This translated to Uhas using 625 liters of hydrogen peroxide, which was 245 liters more than what was used for Rober’s elephant’s toothpaste; he also used potassium iodide, a more potent catalyst than the yeast that was used by Rober.

In terms of how the experiment works, Uhas explains that it involves taking some amount of hydrogen peroxide, adding soap and food coloring dye, and then catalyzing a rapid decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide (it’s stripped of some oxygen atoms) with the potassium iodide. This rapid decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide results in it transforming into an oxygen gas, made up of the stripped oxygen atoms, as well as water. When the expanding oxygen gas becomes trapped in the soapy water mixture, bubbles are created, which in turn become foam.

Obviously the result of the jumbo science experiment was a massive, volcano-esque eruption of foam, which caused everybody watching to run for cover. Although that was probably a bit dramatic considering the fact that this kind of experiment is especially safe, which is why it’s performed in classrooms all the time; albeit on a much smaller scale. It’s also eco-friendly, which means all of the foam that spilled out into the surrounding vegetation probably didn’t harm it.

As of this writing, there’s been no response from Rober’s Twitter account, although he may just be busy blasting “porch pirates” with glitter and turd spray.

What do you think about this “world record” elephant’s toothpaste experiment? Would you run if a foamy tidal wave made out of this stuff were coming straight for you, or do you think you’d stand your ground? And how much does this stuff remind you of the melted Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Images: David Dobrik