Have you ever blown an antibubble? I’m sure you’ve enjoyed blowing your fair share of regular bubbles in the past, but after you’ve read this article I’ll be very surprised if you’re not itching to try blowing one of these weird little guys!
But what exactly is an antibubble?
That’s the question I found myself pondering the other day after taking a haphazard journey around the world via the Internet - and accidentally discovering the existence of this bizarre form of bubble.
The answer, as is often the case, is all in the name. If something is ‘anti’ something else then it is said to be opposed to or against the original action, concept or idea.
Anticlockwise is the opposite direction to clockwise. Antifreeze is a chemical used to stop liquids from freezing. Anticoagulants are used to stop things coagulating!
Now, we all know what a bubble is – a sphere of air surrounded by a thin soapy film of water. So, an antibubble must be something that is in some way opposite to a bubble.
In fact, an antibubble is a soapy sphere of water surrounded by a thin capsule of air. But this begs another question. How do you blow such a strange critter?
WHAT YOU NEED:
• plastic sauce bottle (nozzle should be about 2 to 3mm wide)
• detergent
• large glass jar with a very wide lip (filled with water)
WHAT YOU DO:
1. Mix a little detergent into the jar of water and then scrape off the suds.
2. Fill the sauce bottle with some of this soapy water.
3. Squirt the water from the sauce bottle into the water in the jar at about a 45o angle, firmly but not too firmly.
A few antibubbles should hopefully form! If at first you don’t succeed, try again… and then again… and again! Antibubbles are a little tricky to make, but well worth the effort.
If you’re still having problems, then play around with the amount of detergent in your antibubble mix – weaker is usually better. Also, muck around with the angle of the sauce bottle, as well as how hard you squeeze it.
ADVANCED ANTIBUBBLE TIPS
If you add some salt to the antibubble mix in the sauce bottle, then your antibubbles will sink (salty water is denser and therefore heavier than fresh water).
If you add a layer of honey to the bottom of your glass jar, then your salty antibubbles won’t burst as quickly when they hit the bottom.
Try using warm water in your sauce bottle and cold water in the jar – temperature differences seem to help the antibubbles last longer.
Burst a bubble and all you are left with is a soapy splatter of water. Burst an antibubble and you’re left with a pocket of air that floats to the surface of the water…
Antibubbles are slightly lighter than water due to their outer layer of air - so they float. Regular bubbles are heavier than air due to their outer layer of soapy water - so they sink.
1. Mix a little detergent into the jar of water and then scrape off the suds.