How Do Color Changing Marshmallows Work?
Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 07/19/2023 - 12:10
With a little chemical investigation, you can figure out how Jet-Puffed's new color changing marshmallows work!
Dyes / Pigments
Exploring The “Two-Faced” Thionin Reaction
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 04/19/2022 - 11:44
The "Two-Faced" thionin reaction involves causing a purple solution to fade to colorless by shining light on the solution. I wondered if it could be demonstrated the color of light that caused this transition.
Food Dyes as Acid-Base Indicators
Tom Kuntzleman | Sun, 11/28/2021 - 10:51
Natural food dyes are being sold online and in stores that can be used as acid-base indicators. These dyes open up a host of possibilities for at-home and in-class. For example, these food dyes can be used as indicators in the quantitative titration of the Mg(OH)2 in milk of magnesia.
Solution to Chemical Mystery #18: Peek A Boo Blue!
Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 08/18/2021 - 09:09
Check out the solution to Chemical Mystery #18: Peek A Boo Blue!
Clover Color Chemistry
Tom Kuntzleman | Sat, 07/03/2021 - 16:07
Summertime means doing chemistry experiments with flowers found growing in the yard...
Photochromic glue and spring decorations
Dean Campbell | Fri, 04/02/2021 - 23:23
The many colors of springtime can be illustrated with photochromic pigments in commercial products. These products include UV beads, and more recently, photochromic glue. The glue can be used as a photochromic paint for paper or even eggs. The resulting colorful, decorative objects can be used to illustrate chemical discussions of aspects of photochemistry.
Berries are red, berries are blue…I’ve got a berry surprise for you!
Tom Kuntzleman | Sun, 01/26/2020 - 14:03
You may have observed a red to blue color change when you rinse your bowl after eating frozen blueberries. Sounds like an acid-base reaction, doesn’t it? Well, read on to learn about the blueberry surprise!
Chemical Kinetics with a Smartphone
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 11/25/2019 - 12:03
This experiment in chemical kinetics can be conducted using materials as simple as a smartphone, hydrogen peroxide, sodium carbonate solution, and blue food dye! The experiment is useful when discussing the order of rate laws with respect to reactants.
Solution to Chemical Mystery #10: Out of the Blue!
Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 07/05/2017 - 09:30
In Chemical Mystery #10, plastic straws are observed to “magically” change color when waved in the air. Check out the explanation and the video.
Investigations of Chemicals in Natural Food Coloring. Part 3: Sunflower
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 03/28/2017 - 08:39
The chemistry of the Sunflower dye found in McCormick’s Color from Nature food dyes is explored in this post. This is the last in a three-part series in which several experiments and demonstrations that can be done with Color from Nature food dyes are described.