Great experiment dissolving M&M's in oil or water
Just found a great little experiment at the ACS site www.Middleschoolchemistry.com in which you drop M&M's in water and in oil to see which dissolve better. The lesson teaches students about polar and nonpolar substances.
Swimming Gummy Gecko
Here's another fun gummi gecko trick. After it sits in water for two days, it's flexible enough to go swimming!
Video: Hearts Bobbing in Soda
Up and down the Brach's hearts go.
Why do they do it? Do you know?
This is one of my favorite experiments to do at presentations, and it works really well on TV.
It was featured a few months ago in a Candy Experiments excerpt on Parenting.com, and I also have the instructions on my blog.
If you want to see how long the hearts can bob, here's the long version of the video.
Why do they do it? Do you know?
This is one of my favorite experiments to do at presentations, and it works really well on TV.
It was featured a few months ago in a Candy Experiments excerpt on Parenting.com, and I also have the instructions on my blog.
If you want to see how long the hearts can bob, here's the long version of the video.
Sticking M's
When I demonstrate candy experiments, floating M's are still one of the biggest crowd-pleasers. Apparently my four-year-old is also entranced by them, because she invented a new floating M's experiment by touching one of the floating M's with her finger:
Who knew you could actually pick them up?
Who knew you could actually pick them up?
Acid Test for Science Fair
Science fair project: use baking soda solution and purple cabbage indicator to compare candy acidity.
Purple cabbage indicator (made by boiling, or soaking, purple cabbage in water) changes color based on pH. If you add a base, it turns blue, and if you add acid, it turns pink. Here's the original color.
First, we dissolved various candies in indicator. The brightest pink are the most acidic.
Then we added baking soda water to each sample to bring it to neutral, and compared how much soda we used for each sample to arrive at an acidity comparison.
One fun little thing: to dissolve the maximum amount of soda in water, we warmed the water up. As it cooled, the soda started to crystallize again. Apparently, our initial solution was a little supersaturated.
First, we dissolved various candies in indicator. The brightest pink are the most acidic.
Then we added baking soda water to each sample to bring it to neutral, and compared how much soda we used for each sample to arrive at an acidity comparison.
One fun little thing: to dissolve the maximum amount of soda in water, we warmed the water up. As it cooled, the soda started to crystallize again. Apparently, our initial solution was a little supersaturated.
Airy Chocolate
This Reader's Digest snippet from 2011 describes how candy makers stretched out the cocoa by adding air: "The price of cocoa is soaring, and candy makers are stretching ingredients by adding air. They say the chocolate is creamier, with fewer calories." Wonder if they're still doing it, and wonder if you can tell the difference when you put the bars in water?
Of course, some chocolate bars are made with lots of air bubbles, like the British aero bar. We floated one once, and had it spinning in nice circles.
Here's a Businessweek article with more info.
Of course, some chocolate bars are made with lots of air bubbles, like the British aero bar. We floated one once, and had it spinning in nice circles.
Here's a Businessweek article with more info.
Gummy Gecko Tails
One gecko went for a swim, and the other stayed dry. One gecko floated in water, showing off hidden air bubbles, and the other gecko kept its secrets. One gecko absorbed so much water it grew, and the other lay by the side of the pool. One gecko swam away (down the drain) and the other was forgotten in a bowl.
One gecko, sitting in a bowl for weeks, got its tail bent out of shape!
(For a few minutes, the tail stuck up at nearly a 45 degree angle. Sadly, after we placed it on a plate, gravity eventually took its course, and our gecko became flat once again.)
One gecko, sitting in a bowl for weeks, got its tail bent out of shape!
(For a few minutes, the tail stuck up at nearly a 45 degree angle. Sadly, after we placed it on a plate, gravity eventually took its course, and our gecko became flat once again.)
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