dyes | Chemical Education Xchange

Not so Green Up Close: a Peek at a dyed Chicago River Sample

Dean Campbell | Sat, 05/17/2025 - 22:36

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Light absorbance and fluorescence were studied for a sample of the Chicago River that had been dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day. The sample had weak green fluorescence, showing that the intense green appearance of the river was in part due to the long path length of light through the water. The ability of the green color to partition into 1-octanol was also explored.

Exploring Color Separation in Salting-Out Experiments

Tom Kuntzleman | Sat, 05/04/2024 - 07:44

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Adding dyes to salting out experiments can create a variety of interesting color effects as the dyes differentially dissolve in the aqueous and organic layers. Can this differential solubility of dyes be explained using intermolecular forces as a guide?

How Does the Rainbow Candy Experiment Work?

Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 02/08/2021 - 07:10

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Have you seen the rainbow candy experiment? It's a very simple experiment that involves pouring water into a plate that has M&M's candies or Skittles arranged in a pattern. Very curious shapes of sharply divided regions form spontaneously. How does this happen?!

Especially JCE: November 2017

Erica Jacobsen | Sat, 11/18/2017 - 22:38

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Erica Jacobsen shares highlights from the November 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education that are of special interest to high school chemistry teachers.

Chemical Mystery #10: Out of the Blue!

Tom Kuntzleman | Fri, 06/30/2017 - 15:11

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In this simple trick, colors are made to "magically" appear and disappear on a straw. This science experiment is very easy to do...if you know your chemistry!

Investigations of Chemicals in Natural Food Coloring. Part 2: Berry

Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 02/27/2017 - 13:42

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The chemistry of the Berry dye found in McCormick's Color From Nature food colors is explored. This is part two of a three-part series in which the chemistry of McCormick's Color From Nature food colors is presented.

Pigments of Your Imagination: Making Artist's Paints

In this Activity, students make and examine the characteristics of egg tempera paint. Instructors may also wish to emphasize the chemistry of paint and pigments, the history of the development of different types of paints, or to attempt to duplicate commercial paints as closely as possible. This Activity might be used to integrate chemistry into an art class.