Australian Science Illustrated – Issue 51 2017

78 | SCIENCE ILLUSTRATED

Artifical colouring:

know it, SEE it

HOME CHEMISTRY LAB

Place a few

drops of

water on a

piece of tin foil and

place lollies of

different colours in

each drop. Leave

the sweets in the

water for about

one minute, or

until the

colours have

been dissolved.

Cut out a

piece of

coffee filter

of about 8 x 8 cm and

draw a line 1 cm from

the bottom. Immerse

a dental stick into the

coloured water drops

and mark the line at 1

cm intervals. Use one

toothpick per colour.

Each colour has its

own mark. Repeat

three times per colour.

Rinse the soft

drink bottle

carefully

before use. Mix salt

and water in the

bottle and shake,

until all salt has been

dissolved. The result

is a 1 % saline solution.

Pour some of

the solution

into the

glass, i.e. about 0.5

cm of liquid. Take the

coffee filter with the

marks and place it in

the glass with the

marks at the bottom.

As the salt water

proceeds up through

the filter, some

colours follow.

1

2

3

4

YOU WILL NEED: GUIDE:
IT WILL TAKE 10-15 MINUTES TO MAKE THE EXPERIMENT.

None of the materials are hazardous,

but it is a good idea to wear an

apron or a smock and glasses in

case of spray and splashes.

1 cl of salt and 1 l

of water

A pencil and a

ruler

A glass with a

diameter of at

least 8 cm

An unused, white

coffee filter

Lollies with

coloured shells –

such as M&Ms

Tin foil

A large, empty

soft drink bottle

Toothpicks

TIN FOIL

COLOURED WATER DROP

MARK

COFFEE

FILTER

SALT WATER

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