Before your guests arrive, prepare the glasses. 5 glasses and a non-see-through pitcher of waterġ.The video doesn’t use an opaque pitcher, but you’ll want to for your party. (Make sure no one tries drinking any, though!) Then watch them say “wow” when you change the water into “pink lemonade!” Put on a show of being mysterious by showing the empty pitcher and having a guest fill it with water to prove you haven’t added anything to it. There’s a lot of opportunity to really ham it up when you do this demonstration! You can pour off the excess acetone and let the blob of polystyrene dry into a hard lump of plastic. Without air, the cup is just a blob of polystyrene on the bottom of the dish! The acetone dissolves the long polymer strands in the Styrofoam, allowing all the trapped air to escape. Styrofoam is mostly air, trapped in place by the polymer polystyrene.Ī polymer is a very large molecule formed by repeated patterns of chemical units strung together in long chains. Carefully pour about a tablespoon of acetone into the cup. Set the cup in the middle of the pie tin.Ģ. Watch the video, then try it yourself! What You Need:ġ. You can find acetone at a hardware store, or buy a small bottle of acetone here from us.Īcetone is very flammable, so keep it away from flames and use only in a well-ventilated area. Use chemistry to make a Styrofoam cup disappear before their eyes. This project’s disappearing act will make guests wonder if they’re at a magic show! These projects require adult supervision. The following projects are amazing to watch, whether at a science party or not!Īdd your own dramatic flare to your demonstration and you’ll have a captive audience! Plan a Science Party: Mad Scientist Demonstrations Ordering lab coats and other authentic science supplies lend credibility and serve as fun science party favors and decorations. Have an adult or older child pretend to be a “mad scientist” and do the demonstrations. What are your favorite glowing foods? Using any this Halloween? Tell us about it in the comments, below.Science magic tricks, secret writing, petri dish snacks-throwing a science party is a perfect blend of the “wow factor” and hands-on fun.Īs you plan a science party, choose some projects to present as demonstrations and others that everyone can do. Shelled eggs give off a faint pink-purple glow. A peeled hard-boiled egg has a yellowish tint. (Which is wholly unsurprising, since lasers inherently make everything more awesome.) And if you don't have a laser handy, a trusty black light intensifies pure olive oil to a bright yellow.Įggs - The whites of fried eggs glow bluish. Olive Oil - Although its yellow color might seem dull in normal light, zapping a bottle of olive oil with a laser can unleash a whole spectrum of orange-red awesome. Makes for a great garnish too atop non-glowing desserts, like these Milk Chocolate Cups-of-Fluff. Shredded Coconut - There's no fancy explanation behind this one: like anything that's pure white, coconut glows bright under a UV light. The chlorophyll that's released glows a bright pinkish-red under a black light. It's the quinine in the mixture that gives it that signature glow: try freezing tonic water in ice cubes, too!įreshly Chopped Lettuce - Remember that science behind the glowing bananas? Well, it turns out that lettuce has a similar situation going on too, but only right after it's cut. Tonic Water - Tonic water has long been the secret to eerie electric blue cocktails at black light bars. So this one isn't just a neat party trick: if you've got a UV light handy and a bunch of bananas, whichever one glows brightest is the one that's best to eat! Ripe Bananas - Ready for your daily scoop of science? Studies have shown that aging bananas (great band name, by the way) glow bright blue under a black light due to released chemicals. For some extra coolness? Marble the ice cream with black fudge for a zebra stripe effect. Vanilla Ice Cream - The beigey undertones give off a yellowish glow under a UV light. Harness these foods' hidden powers with a totally spooky Halloween black light party.
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