Chemistry Projects

Test Tubes of Blue Liquid — The blue bottle reaction is a classic color change chemistry demonstration. It interests students in chemistry, introduces the scientific method, and illustrates oxidation and reduction (redox reactions) and chemical kinetics. The reaction starts as a blue liquid which becomes colorless and returns to its blue color. Materials The usual materials […]

Blue Bottle Chemistry Demonstration Recently updated !

This entry was posted on February 27, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on February 27, 2020)

Gatorade and drain cleaner color change — The Gatorade and drain cleaner color change chemistry demonstration is a variant of the classic blue bottle demo. You can customize the demo to get a range of colors. The best part is you don’t need access to a chemistry lab for the materials, so this is a great project […]

Gatorade and Drain Cleaner Color Change Chem Demo Recently updated !

This entry was posted on February 25, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on February 28, 2020)

Hot and Cold Volcanoes — Learn about endothermic and exothermic reactions by making cold and hot chemical volcanoes. This project is more entertaining than mixing chemicals in beakers and measuring their temperatures. The volcanoes use common, safe household ingredients. Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions An endothermic chemical reaction absorbs energy from its environment, so the reaction […]

Hot and Cold Volcano: Easy Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions Recently updated !

This entry was posted on February 23, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on February 23, 2020)

Magicians and chemistry teachers know how to turn water into wine or blood. Of course, this is simply a chemical reaction that causes a clear liquid to turn pink or red. If the conditions are right, the color shifts back and forth. The water into wine demonstration is the easiest […]

Water Into Wine or Blood Chem Demo Recently updated !

This entry was posted on February 20, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on February 21, 2020)

The reaction between sugar and sulfuric acid is one of the simplest chemistry demonstrations and also one of the most spectacular. The chemical reaction causes the dehydration of sugar. This results in a growing, steaming black column of carbon that smells like a combination of caramel and rotten eggs. The […]

Carbon Snake Demo (Sugar and Sulfuric Acid) Recently updated !

This entry was posted on February 18, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on February 18, 2020)

The elephant toothpaste chemistry demonstration produces a steaming tube of foam that erupts like an elephant squeezing a giant tube of toothpaste. The classic demo isn’t appropriate for kids because it uses 30% hydrogen peroxide, but there is a safe, easy version, too. The kid-friendly elephant toothpaste demo uses ordinary […]

Kid-Friendly Elephant Toothpaste Demo

This entry was posted on February 17, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on February 17, 2020)