Orange Peel Pop a Balloon Experiment

The juice from an orange peel causes a balloon to pop. When I first saw this I thought to myself, “ what is the Science behind this experiment?” What I found out is, the compound in orange peels called limonene, which is responsible for this pop. It’s just Awesome to do this experiment! Every time I did this experiment I knew the balloon was going to pop and I jumped. FUN haha

Limonene is a hydrocarbon. Latex rubber is also a hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbons will dissolve together if in contact with each other. So when the citrus oil touches the surface of the balloon, some of the latex from the balloon immediately begins to dissolve. Result: Pop!