Chemistry Projects

Customize the classic slime recipe by making green leprechaun slime to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The slime isn’t sticky, so it won’t work as a leprechaun trap, but the vibrant green color may lure them close. It’s a fun holiday chemistry project for kids of all ages. Materials Leprechaun slime […]

Green Leprechaun Slime for St. Patrick’s Day

This entry was posted on March 14, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on April 2, 2020)

The white smoke demonstration is a simple, visually appealing chemistry project. Pour a clear liquid into a seemingly empty and watch clouds of white vapor appear. It makes a nice science magic trick and is a great introduction to a discussion of acid-base and synthesis reactions. Materials This is a […]

White Smoke Demonstration (Ammonium Chloride Synthesis)

This entry was posted on March 8, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on April 9, 2020)

Bath bombs dissolve in an endothermic reaction — An endothermic reaction is a chemical reaction that absorbs heat from its environment. Like any chemical reaction, an endothermic reaction requires activation energy to proceed. Then, it continues to absorb energy. Such reactions feel cold. In contrast, exothermic reactions release more heat than they absorb and feel hot. Not all […]

Easy Endothermic Reaction Demonstration

This entry was posted on March 7, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on April 9, 2020)

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

This entry was posted on February 27, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on April 2, 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

This entry was posted on February 25, 2020 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on April 9, 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 July 4, 2020)