Lifelong Learning Programme

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Chemistry is all around us
Copyright 2015
This project has been funded with
support from the European Commission

Educational Packages

Chemistry at Home

Cleaning products at home

Step 1 Activity:
Make your own toothpaste

Description and purpose of the activity

In this activity a method of making toothpaste is presented, using materials we have at home or that we can easily find in a local grocery store. In the end of this activity we will compare the cleaning action of our homemade toothpaste with commercial toothpaste. The purpose of this activity is to comprehend that we can easily prepare, with materials we have at home, a product similar to a commercial product, which is industrially prepared. Then we conclude that the cleaning action of the homemade product does not differ significantly from the one of the commercial.


Apparatus
  • 1 plastic cup
  • 1 glass
  • 1 measuring cup
  • 1 tea-spoon
  • 1 dropper
  • Paper towels
  • 1 black permanent marker
  • 1 toothbrush

Ingredients - Materials
  • 1 egg (white)
  • Food coloring (or coffee or tea or juice)
  • Vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Glycerine
  • Commercial toothpaste
  • Water
  • Hydrogen peroxide 3%
  • Flavoring oils (peppermint oil, tea tree oil or cinnamon oil)

Procedure

A. Preparing the egg
  1. Pour half a cup of boiling water into a glass and add 1 teaspoon vinegar and 20 drops of food coloring (blue is recommended).
  2. Boil an egg until is hard-boiled and immerse it in the food coloring solution until it is stained with color (about 10 minutes).
  3. Remove the egg from the food coloring solution and place it on a paper towel to dry.
  4. Place the dry egg in a refrigerator until the toothpaste is prepared.

B. Making the toothpaste
  1. Put in a plastic cup 2 teaspoons baking soda and ¼ teaspoon table salt and mix well.
  2. Add ¾ teaspoon glycerin, ½ teaspoon hydrogen peroxide and 3 drops flavoring oils for a pleasant flavor, in the salt-soda mixture. Stir it well. The mixture will be thick.
  3. Add water with a dropper in the mixture while stirring. Stop adding water when the mixture has about the same texture and consistency as commercial toothpaste.

C. Testing the toothpaste (Be careful. Do not swallow the homemade toothpaste)
  1. Sink the colored egg into clean water and scrub it with a toothbrush. We will observe that the color remains.
  2. With a black permanent marker, draw a line on the egg shell, dividing its surface in half. Label one side H, for homemade toothpaste and the other side C, for commercial toothpaste.
  3. Place a small amount of commercial toothpaste on the toothbrush and brush side C of the stained egg. Ten strokes front and back should be enough. We will observe that the color is removed.
  4. Clean the egg and the toothbrush with clean water.
  5. Place a small amount of commercial toothpaste on the toothbrush and brush side H of the stained egg. Ten strokes front and back should be enough. We will observe that the color is removed.
  6. Place a small amount of each toothpaste between your fingers in order to compare the abrasiveness of the homemade and commercial toothpastes.