Elliot Spencer and Ruben Meerman, presenters on ABC's Rollercoaster, stand on a stage before a table. On it are a bottle of liquid, a glass containing a white powder, and an upside-down baking tray. Elliot holds a compact camera.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Have you got the film can that your little film thing came in for that camera?
ELLIOT SPENCER: Film can? Wrong century, Ruben. This is digital. OK? But I do have the packet that the memory card come in. Does that help?
RUBEN MEERMAN: Yeah, that's not gonna help. Lucky I've still got mine. Here's a film-can rocket.
Ruben struggles to pull a film canister out of his jeans' front pocket.
UBEN MEERMAN: Hang on, here it comes.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Stuck in your jeans there.
Ruben holds up a translucent plastic 35mm-film canister.
RUBEN MEERMAN: There we go. That's a film can.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Yeah.
RUBEN MEERMAN: It's what film used to come in, right?
RUBEN MEERMAN: And, you know, your memory card, yeah, very fancy, but you can't make a film-can rocket with it, can ya?
ELLIOT SPENCER: I don't know what you're talking about, but I like the sound of it! What else do we need, Ruben?
RUBEN MEERMAN: Alright, Elliot, we need some vinegar, we need some baking soda. What do you know about baking soda, Elliot?
ELLIOT SPENCER: Baking soda is like soda water with the juice squeezed out. That's obvious, isn't it?
RUBEN MEERMAN: Hmm. Excellent. It's also a base, Elliot, which is a type of chemical with a pH that's greater than 7. What do you know about vinegar, Elliot?
ELLIOT SPENCER: A chip is not worth its salt unless it's soaked in vinegar.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Very good. It's also an acid, uh, Elliot. Which means, when you mix baking soda with vinegar, you get a chemical reaction, right? And the chemical reaction releases some gas, called carbon dioxide, and we can use that carbon dioxide to do some very cool things. Now, my film can is about to become a rocket. Put a little bit of sticky putty on top to give it a little bit of extra weight.
Ruben pushes some putty onto the bottom of the film canister.
RUBEN MEERMAN: This is gonna give it a little bit of extra height when it turns into a rocket.
ELLIOT SPENCER: OK.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Now, for the fuel. OK, so, you need a little bit of baking soda.
Ruben scoops a small amount of baking soda into the upturned lid of the film canister.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Which I'm gonna put into this part of the lid here.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Is it going to go very high?
RUBEN MEERMAN: Um, yes. Really high.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Yup.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Now, I'm gonna put a few drops of water in there to turn this into a little bit of a paste, right?
Ruben pours a small amount of water onto the canister lid.
RUBEN MEERMAN: So you just squish it through there. Maybe a little bit more baking soda now. Yeah, a paste — not toothpaste.
ELLIOT SPENCER: No. But you can use that in toothpaste. I know that.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Alright. Now, that's ready to go.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Now we need the vinegar.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Yep.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Just a capful in here.
Ruben opens the bottle of vinegar and carefully pours some into the bottle's cap. Then he pours the capful into the main body of the film canister.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Do I need a shield or anything?
RUBEN MEERMAN: If you like.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Like, you know, I'll be OK?
RUBEN MEERMAN: Whatever you like, mate.
Ruben screws the cap back onto the vinegar bottle and picks up the body of the film canister, then its lid.
RUBEN MEERMAN: OK. Now, here comes the exciting part. What do you think is going to happen when I put this lid on top here, seal it nice and tight, and turn the whole thing upside down and let the chemicals react?
Ruben pushes on the lid of canister.
ELLIOT SPENCER: I believe the impossible will happen. You'll develop a photo.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Deary me.
The audience giggles. Ruben holds the film canister above the upturned baking tray on the table.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Alright, on the count of three — one, two, three!
Ruben places the film canister upon the upturned baking tray upside down, so that the putty on the bottom is on top. Elliot and Ruben squeal delightedly and step back.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Pressure! Pressure! Oh, look, it's coming out right there.
A small amount of vinegar bubbles out from the where the lid joins the canister.
ELLIOT SPENCER: It's bubbling. It's bubbling! Go! Go! Go!
The canister shoots skyward with a loud pop, leaving the lid behind. Ruben and the audience scream, and Elliot falls back, clutching his arm. In slow motion replay, the canister shoots off just as Elliot was reaching out to it. He is sprayed with liquid.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Elliot's lost his arm! Oh, no!
Wailing comically, Elliot hides his hand inside the long sleeve of his shirt, as if he has been dismembered.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Call a doctor! Call the ambulance!
Elliot pops his hand back out of his long sleeve, panting.
RUBEN MEERMAN: It's back.
Elliot begins kissing the hand, whimpering with relief.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Terrifying, aren't they?
ELLIOT SPENCER: How? Why? Again!
RUBEN MEERMAN: Yes. Well, Elliot, it's because baking soda and vinegar react. Here's something you might not know about that reaction — there's actually two chemical reactions going on. When you mix these two chemicals, you get, um… The first reaction is baking soda and vinegar react to make two new chemicals — sodium acetate and carbonic acid. Now, carbonic acid breaks down spontaneously into carbon dioxide gas and water. So, the bubbles you see are actually part of the second reaction. Now you can go and tell people that and they'll get really annoyed because you're smarter than them. Now, should we do that again?
ELLIOT SPENCER: Yes! We do it again! This time we make it more powerful.
Ruben and the audience burst into laughter.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Alright, alright. Do it again. Do it again. Do it again.
RUBEN MEERMAN: But, Elliot, are you brave enough to launch this one off your hand?
ELLIOT SPENCER: Am I brave enough? I'm not only brave enough, I've got the power!
Elliot unfurls his hand towards Ruben, whirring like a robot.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Alright, well then, on goes the lid.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Right, here we go.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Alright, on the count of three… One, two, three!
Ruben places a prepared, upturned film-canister rocket — putty side up — on Elliot's hand and backs nervously away.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Yeah, as you can see, it's really tiny actually. And so… Ah!
The rocket shoots up and vinegar explodes out the bottom, leaving the canister lid in Elliot's hand.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Yeah! You've got vinegar hands. You've got vinegar hands. Ew, stinky.
Ruben and the audience applaud. Elliot wipes his vinegar-covered hands on the table.
ELLIOT SPENCER: That was wicked! Let's look at some photos!
A series of faked photos show Ruben and Elliot firing the rocket film canister. In the last photo, the canister is stuck into Elliot's forehead, with Ruben pointing at it with an alarmed expression.
ELLIOT SPENCER: Awesome! You know what I've learnt?
RUBEN MEERMAN: What have you learnt, Elliot?
ELLIOT SPENCER: I've learnt that real film is way better than digital.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Mm. You're right.
Elliot licks his vinegar-covered hand.
RUBEN MEERMAN: Eugh! See you later.
Ruben exits quickly. Elliot leans forward to shake Ruben's hand, shrugs, then licks a finger.er.com.au. See you soon!