Mix the reagents (listed below) thoroughly and put into a stoppered bottle. That's it!

WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?

PREDICT: Ask your students "What colour is the ink in this bottle? Will happen if I shake the bottle?" OBSERVE: Shake the bottle (being careful not to drop it!) quite vigorously. EXPLAIN: What does this show us? (seniors might like to consider the chemical reaction involved)

 

WHY THE COLOUR CHANGE? IT"S CHEMISTRY!

If you vigorously shake the bottle it turns blue. Left for a while it returns to a colourless solution. The reason this happens is that the oxygen combines with the Methylene Blue causing a reversible colour change.

This colour change is due to a set of reversable chemical reactions, known as REDOX reactions.

See Magic Bottle II for more details.

---

FIND OUT MORE:-

1. Try the other recipe for a "magic" bottle here...
2. Find out more about "redox" reactions