Hooked on Science: Turn clear liquid blue

Did you know using a few materials from around the house you can cause two clear liquids to turn blue?

Materials

* Vitamin C tablets (1,000 mg)

* 2 percent iodine tincture

* 3 percent hydrogen peroxide

* Laundry starch

* Distilled water

* Three transparent glasses

Instructions

STEP 1: Crush a 1,000 mg vitamin C tablet and dissolve the powder in one ounce of warm distilled water. Label the transparent glass "Vitamin C solution."

STEP 2: Combine one teaspoon of the vitamin C solution with one teaspoon of iodine and one ounce of warm distilled water. Label this "Solution A."

STEP 3: Mix 1 ounce of warm distilled water with one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide and half a teaspoon of liquid starch. Label this "Solution B."

STEP 4: Pour Solution A and Solution B back and forth between the transparent glasses a few times. Place the glass with solutions A and B in it down and observe.

*** Explanation

With time the liquid will turn blue. The starch in the liquid tries to turn the iodine blue while the vitamin C keeps the iodine from turning blue. This battle will continue until the vitamin C is used up and the liquid turns blue. You can slow this reaction down by adding more water.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website www.hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science.