Chemistry

This experiment is almost like magic. Two colorless liquids are mixed together and after a few moments the mixture turns a dark blue color. This would be a great "experiment" to show at a family gathering or dinner party. Since the reaction always takes the same amount of time, you know exactly when the clear liquid will change to dark. Imagine walking around with this cup and seconds before it's about to change, you announce to everyone that you'd really like a darker kind of liquid in your cup. Bang! it changes almost on command! Now that would be a cool way to start talking about how a couple of simple chemical reactions are going on at the same time to make this "clock reaction" occur. This version of the classic "iodine clock reaction" uses safe household chemicals that most people have on hand at home.  read more »

Elephants Toothpaste is a fun chemical reaction that creates a huge blob of soapy foam that everyone loves. You may have seen us do this experiment at COSI as part of our Extreme Science demonstration with super concentrated hydrogen peroxide. Unless you're a teacher or science museum it's difficult to obtain the 30% hydrogen peroxide needed to do this experiment. The peroxide you can buy at a drug store is only 3%. We recently have come across a version, from our friend Steve Spangler, that only requires a 6% solution of peroxide that you can buy from a local hair salon.

The basic science here is that you have hydrogen peroxide, which really should be called hydrogen dioxide, since it is just a water molecue with an extra oxygen added on. Hydrogen peroxide is H₂O₂, water is of course H₂O. By adding another chemical called a catalyst to the peroxide, you create a chemical reaction that releases the extra oxygen attached to the water molecule. If you mix in a little detergent you can capture that released oxygen in the form of bubbles.  read more »

If you're a Harry Potter fan you may want to try your hand at mixing up this color changing potion. Grab a head of red cabbage and a few items from the kitchen and you can cook up a potion that will change it's color depending on what kinds of liquids you add to it.  read more »

Here's a way to make a simple make bubble making device using things around the kitchen.  read more »

Flubber is similar to slime in many ways, sort of just a variation on the recipe. The slight change in the amounts of water, borax and glue makes a big difference in the final product. Try for yourself and check this stuff out.  read more »

This is the now classic "mentos fountain" experiment with a little twist ... we use lifesaver candies. Since Lifesavers have a hole in the middle they are just begging to be strung on a paper clip, held in place with a binder clip and then dropped into a 2 liter bottle of soda! Check out the YouTube video at the bottom where we did this with over 360 bottles of Diet Pepsi and nearly 1800 mint lifesavers.  read more »

Are black inks all the same? This experiment will allow you determine what colors are combined to make black ink in some common water based markers.  read more »

Oobleck is one of those things you just have to see (and touch) to understand. Sometimes it acts like a solid, sometimes it acts like a liquid. It all depends on how much pressure you put on it. This stuff is best experimented with outside (or at your neighbors house ... ) because it can get really messy really fast.  read more »

Who would have thought that soap could be so much fun? Not only does Ivory soap float in water, but if you heat it in a microwave it will expand into a mass of soap about three times larger than the bar. This experiment also generates some strong soapy smells - so be prepared!  read more »

Here is our recipe for slime. This polymer goo is similar to flubber and just as much fun. Try making both to see how changing the amounts of ingredients can make a huge change in the end produce. Just be sure you don't dispose of it down your sink or you will plug your drain for sure!  read more »