The Prayer Vase or Genie in a Bottle is a guaranteed fun way to trick your friends using only items you can find around the house.
The science magician displays a bottle and a short length of rope. She explains that according to the ancient legends, a genie lives in the bottle. While you can’t see the genie, if you tickle him with something like a rope, it makes him mad and he hangs onto the rope. The rope is inserted into the bottle and jiggled a bit. When the bottle with the rope still inside it is turned upside down, the rope is seen to dangle unsupported from the bottle. The magician explains that the genie is even strong enough to make the bottle float. Now, the bottle and rope are turned right side up. While holding only the end of the rope, the magician lets go
The Genie in the Bottle experiment is a special effects secret used by the movie industry. It’s not really a secret, it’s science.
**This experiment is not intended to do at home. Your chemistry teacher is a great resource to demonstrate this reaction. The hydrogen peroxide used is 30% and can irritate the eyes and throat.
This experiment uses two compounds – hydrogen peroxide and manganese dioxide. The hydrogen peroxide is made up of water and oxygen (H2O2). The peroxide decomposes and releases the oxygen molecules as it breaks down. The manganese dioxide (MnO2) is used as a catalyst to tear apart the H2O2 molecules.
The secret to releasing the genie is to hang the manganese dioxide on a string above the hydrogen peroxide in a bottle. When the cork is pulled, the string drops into the liquid and starts the reaction. The reaction is gaseous oxygen propelling tiny
