======Marshmallow in Syringe======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** The Expanding Marshmallow, Marshmallow Pressure and Volume
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - (Optional) Draw a face on a miniature marshmallow with a felt-tip pen.  
  - Remove the plunger from a 50mL or bigger plastic syringe.  
  - Place the marshmallow inside the syringe barrel.  
  - Replace the plunger.  
  - Seal the syringe tip with a cap or a finger.  
  - Pull the plunger outward to decrease pressure inside the syringe. Observe the marshmallow expand.  
  - Push the plunger inward to increase pressure inside the syringe. Observe the marshmallow shrink.



====Links==== 
Marshmallow in a syringe demo - Laura Crain: 
{{youtube>p3k791O43NU?}}\\

Marshmallow in a Vacuum - FlinnScientific: 
{{youtube>y6dLYgHqoZs?}}\\

📄 The Expanding Marshmallow - Flinn Scientific: [[https://www.flinnsci.com/api/library/Download/87df044174b24fe38b73cd2a96386f15]]\\


====Variations====
  * Try using different sizes of marshmallows.  
  * Compare fresh versus stale marshmallows (fresh ones expand more due to more trapped air).  
  * Use different syringe sizes to test the effect of chamber volume.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Follow standard laboratory safety procedures.  
  * Do not eat marshmallows used in the experiment.




====Questions to Consider====
  * What happens to the volume of the marshmallow when pressure decreases? (It increases due to expansion of trapped air bubbles.)  
  * Why does the marshmallow shrink when the plunger is pushed in? (Increased pressure compresses the air bubbles inside.)  
  * How does this experiment illustrate Boyle’s Law? (It shows the inverse relationship between pressure and volume: when one goes down, the other goes up.)  
  * What role do the air bubbles inside the marshmallow play in this demonstration? (They act like tiny balloons that expand or contract depending on external pressure.)