Nowadays, not a single holiday is complete without balloons. They create whole figures of birds, flowers, butterflies, cartoon characters and make beautiful arches for weddings. No store opening can be imagined without a balloon arrangement. They decorate holidays in kindergartens and schools, corporate events at companies and enterprises, and one cannot ignore helium balloons, which are sold in all parks and on the central streets of cities.
All children love balloons, but not all adults like to inflate them. Especially if you need a lot of them for the holiday. Of course, it is difficult to inflate thin long products, from which you can make figures. Therefore, it will be useful to find out how to make this work easier for yourself and how you can replace helium at home.
How to easily inflate a balloon?
How to inflate a balloon without a pump? The first option is the simplest. Inflate it with your mouth. Before inflating, it is necessary to stretch in different directions, but gently so as not to tear. It is recommended to hold especially tight (small round or long thin) balls under running warm water. The rubber will warm up and the inflation process will go better.
The ball is taken with two fingers, index and thumb, and pressed to the lips. Take a deep breath and smoothly release the air inside the toy. At first it inflates tightly, but after several deep exhalations the process will become more free. It is not recommended to blow too hard; you may get a headache, especially if there are a lot of balls.
Once the ball has become dense, there is no need to blow anymore. The hole is closed tightly to prevent air from escaping, and a knot is tied. There are several options here:
- Leave a long end and, stretching it, tie a simple rubber knot.
- Continuing to hold tightly, tie with thread.
- Buy plastic sticks with a circle for tying. They are easy to use. If you use them to carry a ball, it will always be at the top. Children love this option.
Using a chemical reaction
Chemists came up with an interesting way to inflate a balloon without a pump. For the experiment you need to have a plastic two-liter bottle, table vinegar, baking soda, ball. You can take several bottles and inflate 2-3 toys at the same time.
It will be fun for children to take part in a chemical experiment, but we must not forget about safety precautions. Put on glasses and gloves for the little experimenter so that he understands the importance of the situation and the danger to the eyes.
Fill the bottle with one-third of the vinegar. Then pour a few spoons through the funnel baking soda. Immediately after this, a balloon should be pulled over the neck of the bottle. During the chemical reaction, carbon dioxide will be released and fill the volume of the ball. When the last one is inflated the right size, holding the hole with your fingers, remove the ball from the bottle and tie it with one of the already known knot options.
These were ways to inflate a balloon without a pump. But the process can be carried out with its help.
Inflation using a pump
Before you inflate a ball at home, you need to buy a ball pump. Nowadays special pumps for inflating balloons are sold. They have 4 spouts to inflate 4 balloons at the same time. If you don't have one, don't worry - even with a simple pump with one nozzle, things will go quickly.
For this process you don’t even need to crush and stretch the balls. The ball is placed on the ribs of the spout, and air is pumped in with your hands. When you can see that the balloon is inflated, you need to carefully remove the product from the pump and tie a knot. It takes half a minute, no more. For the holiday, pump up several dozen in 10-15 minutes.
How to inflate a balloon with helium?
In order for the balloon to be lighter than air and rise up to the ceiling, it is filled with helium. There is no way to reproduce it at home. Therefore, you need to buy a small, 5-liter gas cylinder. There is a spout on it, like on a pump, on which the ball is put. Open the valve a little and gradually fill the balloon with gas.
At the end of the procedure, carefully close the valve and then remove the ball from the spout. We tie a knot. Many people on websites write that helium can be replaced with gas from the reaction of soda with vinegar. It is not true. Carbon dioxide is released, which is heavy, and the ball will lie quietly on the floor of the room, but will not take off.
If you want the balloon to become light and fly, then the following recipe for how to inflate a balloon without a pump is just for you. Buy lye (Mr. Muscle will do), add a little, just a couple of pieces of food foil and mix. A chemical reaction immediately begins, resulting in hydrogen. By filling the toy with it, you can see the effect
But there is one thing - hydrogen burns well, and at a holiday the situation can be different. And it will be dangerous for children to play with such balloons, so before you inflate a balloon without a pump, you need to think and decide, maybe you shouldn’t experiment with children’s health and still buy a pump and calmly inflate balloons with them for all the holidays? It lasts a long time, and you can pump up balls with it quickly and reliably.
Instructions
Purchase or rent a helium cylinder and a stand for it from a specialized agency to make it more convenient for you to work. You will also need equipment such as replaceable nozzles and a pressure gauge to monitor how much gas is left in the cylinder.
Place the ball on the nozzle hole and open the cylinder valve. Fill the balloon with helium to the desired size and close the valve. If you need a large number of of the same size, then make a simple device - a sizer - that allows you to adjust the size of the balls filled with gas.
A sizer is a sheet of cardboard or plastic with a hole of a certain diameter cut in it. Fitting the balls to one size occurs as follows: the ball is inflated and inserted into the sizer hole, thus determining whether it is necessary to add volume or, on the contrary, reduce it by releasing a certain amount from the ball.
First fill the balloon with air and deflate it, and then fill it with helium - this will allow you to straighten the balloon well and also make sure that it is intact. You need to inflate the latex balloon with helium until it begins to take on a pear shape. A fully inflated balloon will float much longer.
Helium balloons deflate very quickly compared to air balloons. To increase the life of the ball, inflated with helium up to 5 days, use special composition, covering the porous surface of the ball with a thin layer of plastic and making it impenetrable. Inject a small amount of this mixture into the balloon before inflating.
There is a faster (but also more easily soiled) option of applying this liquid to the outer surface of the ball. Place the uninflated ball tightly onto the pencil and lower it into the composition to the level of the tail, preventing liquid from getting inside. It is necessary to cover the entire ball completely - straighten out all the folds and moisten the untreated areas. Let the ball dry a little for a couple of minutes. Inflate the still wet balloon with helium.
Tie the tail of the finished ball with a knot. If you used a special composition to increase the flight life of the balloons, then keep them for about two hours in a room with low humidity so that the liquid inside the balloons dries faster.
To create a truly festive mood you need air balloons. Ask any person what the holiday is associated with, and he will, one way or another, say about balloons. Both adults and children really love them, so a holiday without such decorations... Not the most fun.
Even if there are pyrotechnics and various achievements of the entertainment industry. And if the balls fly, then it’s generally akin to magic. So, creating an unforgettable holiday with cool decorations is quite easy. Moreover, now many companies offer such a convenient service as balloon delivery.
Today there are many varieties of balloons - latex, round, long, in the shape of hearts or other shapes. There are foil ones: from small to huge, from just round to complex figures. There are balloons in the shape of cartoon characters, animals, letters and numbers. Matte, transparent, pearlescent, shiny, stars, flowers, animals, cars... Whatever. And yes, all this can fly - the main thing is that the ball is inflated with the right gas.
From our article you will learn what they cheat Balloons, what kind of gas they need to be inflated to make them fly and what you can use to inflate the balloons at home.
What gas is used to inflate balloons?
The most common is ordinary air. What could be easier than inflating a balloon? Nothing, especially if there is a pump. A couple of seconds - and bright decoration ready for the holiday. It is with air that balloons are inflated, from which flowers, garlands and all those decorations that are fixed on walls, stairs, and windows are made.What other gas is used to inflate balloons? Carbon dioxide. This is a way for those who love chemical experiments or simply doesn’t want to bother with regular inflation.
To get carbon dioxide, just combine ordinary vinegar, 9% and soda. For one item you need 150 ml of vinegar and a tablespoon of soda. The powder is poured into a ball, after which its tail is pulled onto a bottle of vinegar, the ball is shaken so that the soda pours into the bottle. A violent reaction - and now the balloon is filled.
What do you inflate balloons with to make them fly?
Hydrogen was once used. But they quickly abandoned it, because when combined with oxygen it forms an explosive gas. A pyro show is, of course, interesting, but only if it is controlled. But a balloon explosion cannot be called controlled.
Therefore, they began to use helium instead of hydrogen. It is ideal - much lighter than air, completely inert and safe, quite affordable. Ideal gas for flying crafts. In addition, it is safe for health - helium is even included in mixtures for scuba divers. And interesting by-effect his inhalations, funny voice, even amusing. In addition, helium has no smell or taste. And if the decoration bursts, nothing bad will happen.
How to inflate balloons instead of helium at home?
In principle, helium is not so unavailable that it cannot be purchased for the home. But if you don’t want to buy a balloon, then there is only one option for a flying balloon: hydrogen. Yes, it is dangerous to some extent, but it is the only gas that is lighter than air, and it can be produced using improvised means. And it is obtained as follows:- 150 ml of warm water is poured into the bottle;
- Pieces of ordinary foil are also thrown there;
- After this, add 3 tablespoons of caustic soda (caustic soda, drain cleaner);
- A balloon is immediately placed on the bottle.
Attention! Hydrogen is potentially dangerous, as are experiments with caustic soda. This gas should not be inhaled. You should also keep such balloons away from fire, including candles on a birthday cake, sparklers etc. Therefore, if you want to decorate your holiday with flying balloons, you shouldn’t risk it. After all, the risk here is not only that the holiday will be ruined...
It is much better to go to a store where you can choose suitable balloons, and they will deliver them to you already inflated. Everything becomes much easier, and not so expensive. And you don’t need to think about how to inflate balloons at home, what to use instead of helium, and so on.
Material prepared by Mechtalion.ru.
Floating in the air colorful balls very popular. The only downside to this type of entertainment is that balloons only fly when filled with helium. However, a balloon with this gas costs a little more. Luckily, there are several ways to make it yourself and avoid the big expense. So, how to make a helium balloon at home?
How to make a helium balloon yourself: basic aspects
Helium is a non-toxic and non-flammable gas that is lighter than air. For this reason, it is used to fill balloons. Helium is available in a variety of sizes and packaging. The smallest commercial container is a single-use vial of helium gas. With this amount of gas you can inflate 8-10 round helium balloons with a diameter of about 25 cm, and this pleasure will cost from 1500 to 1700 rubles.
However, as already mentioned, we can make flying balls ourselves and at minimal cost. True, to inflate the balloon, we will not use helium, since its synthesis requires very low temperatures, which can only be achieved in laboratory conditions. In our case, the balls will fly as a result of chemical reactions using available and inexpensive substances, so it makes sense to say that the balls will be like helium ones.
About which chemical reactions we're talking about? In order for the ball to fly, we need a gas that is lighter than air. Since you can’t synthesize helium in your pantry, there remains one more accessible gas - hydrogen. Moreover, it is much lighter not only than air, but also helium, so balls with hydrogen inside will soar upward much faster. By the way, this gas used to lift airships and balloons into the air.
Hydrogen can be produced under conditions home cooking with the help of such available materials, How:
- table vinegar;
- baking soda;
- aluminum foil or wire;
- salt;
- copper sulfate;
- drinking water.
Making a flying ball: master classes
Well, as they say, less words, more action. First, let's look at a simpler and less expensive method of inflating a balloon with hydrogen.
Sodium acid and bicarbonate
Necessary materials:
- 150 g sodium bicarbonate or soda;
- table vinegar - 500 ml;
- plastic bottle;
- balloon.
Process description:
Copper sulfate and salt
Necessary materials:
- medical IV;
- a bottle with a capacity of one liter (preferably made of glass, since heat will be released during the reaction and the plastic may melt);
- copper sulfate - 100 g;
- table salt - 100-150 g;
- aluminum, preferably in the form of wire up to 2 m long;
- tap water - 0.7 l;
- balloon.
Process description:
This way the balloon will be inflated without helium to fly, and the whole process will take you about 20 minutes.
What determines the flight duration of helium balloons?
The flight time of gas-filled balloons depends on the type of material used. In conventional balloons, helium quickly escapes from the pores of the shell material. That is why special latex balloons are often used in traditional round shape or any other.
Round helium balloons in normal conditions environment fly up to 10 hours. Balloons made of special foil retain gas much longer - up to several days. In addition, they are reusable and can always be refilled with gas or air.
Multi-colored balloons always give good mood. However, helium balloons are an expensive pleasure, so the question of how to make a helium balloon at home is often relevant.
Helium is a non-toxic monatomic gas, number two in the periodic table. It is a colorless and odorless gas, it is much lighter than oxygen and carbon dioxide. The molecular weight of helium is 4, while oxygen has 32 and carbon dioxide has 44. That's how light helium is! Therefore, balls filled with this monatomic gas can fly, while the mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide weighs the ball down, causing it to fall. The lighter the contents of the ball, the more likely it is to fly.
Where can I get helium balloons?
Helium is produced by deep cooling natural gases. Helium balloons are sold in circuses and specialty stores. To inflate such a balloon at home, purchase a special helium balloon. You can find out about the cost of the cylinder on the Internet. Unfortunately, it is impossible to produce helium experimentally chemically at home, so you will have to spend a significant amount. But you can do many other things with balloons interesting experiments, and at the same time gain new knowledge in chemistry.
Balloon inflated with soda and vinegar
A well-known chemical fact: the reaction of soda (NaHCO₃) and vinegar (CH₃COOH) is accompanied by abundant release of carbon dioxide. Ball with carbon dioxide, of course, will not fly due to its large atomic mass. But this experiment is very interesting, and the required solution can be prepared at home.
Balls filled with carbon dioxide
Show this trick to your children to instill in them a love of chemistry: by inflating a balloon with a bottle, they will show interest in science, and perhaps little fidgets will make discoveries in the future.
What we need:
acetic acid, which is in everyone's kitchen (there is different types vinegar, but almost any will do);
baking soda;
empty bottle or flask with a volume of 1.5 liters;
gloves;
This kind of home trick is very easy to perform; even a child can do it. However, it is worth working with rubber gloves, since vinegar, especially strong vinegar, has an unpleasant effect on the skin: at best, a slight burn may occur. If this happens, you need to know that treating with soda or soap neutralizes acids. Therefore, all experiments with dangerous chemical It is better for children to do this by calling an adult for help.
So, we need to add soda to the ball (2 teaspoons per 1 ball), and pour half a glass into the bottle acetic acid. Don't rush to add too much baking soda. We put the ball on the bottle: the soda from the ball will pour into it, and a violent reaction will begin with the intense release of CO₂. Therefore, the balloon will inflate. If the reaction is weak and the balloon does not inflate, add more vinegar and soda, but do not shake the solution. This method is convenient for those who find it difficult to inflate balloons.
What experiment will make a balloon take off without helium?
This method will tell you how to make the ball fly. The experiment works, but keep in mind that this simple experiment is a fire hazard, so do it outside. You will also need safety glasses, a gown and gloves.
For the experience you will need:
pure sodium hydroxide;
glass flask.
aluminium foil;
water at room temperature;
You may also need the help of a partner. Pure sodium hydroxide can be found on hardware store shelves. For example, the Mr. Muscle drain cleaner contains the substance needed for the experiment in pure form. Try using other products with similar composition.
To begin, take the foil and roll ten small balls out of it that will fit into the hole of the flask. Pour the pipe cleaner into a flask and fill the substance with water. One sachet will require half a liter of water. Next, add all the balls that you managed to make into a container with water and cleaning solution. Do not shake the resulting solution, because a strong reaction will begin. The balloon, of course, will inflate, but condensation from the evaporation of gas will remain in it, which will make it heavier. Therefore the ball will not take off.
If the solution is not shaken, the reaction will proceed calmly. You can also do this: wait additional time so that the condensate inside the ball flows back into the flask. Therefore, for the experiment to work, you need attentiveness and patience. The result will not be long in coming: your balloon will fly no worse than a helium balloon!
Ball filled with hydrogen
This way we will get the desired effect. The substance released from the resulting solution contains explosive hydrogen. Therefore, you not only need to do the experiment on the street, but it is also dangerous to keep the balloons at home: if there is a spark nearby, the hydrogen will explode. You can find out what experiments with hydrogen can be done at home. During the experiment, you also need to be careful: if you add a lot of foil and product or start shaking the contents, you can get burned by the flask. Do not inhale the escaping gas.