Red, White & Blue Demo

Presented by Bettyann Howson, Chatham HS, Chatham, NJ

Demo:
Clear colorless solutions turn red, white and blue.

Application
Solutions Ksp Chemical change

Materials
HCl K4Fe(CN)6
AgNO3
NH4CHS
FeCl3· 6 H2O

Safety
Wear protective gloves, chemical-resistant apron and safety goggles

Preparation
Solution 1
Add 10 ml concentrated HCl to 1000 ml of DI water.
Add 8 gm FeCl3· 6H2O.
Solution 2 blue
0.06 gm K4Fe(CN)6 per litre of DI water.
Solution 3 white
1.7 gm AgNO3 per litre of DI water.
Solution 4 red
0.07 gm NH4CNS per litre of DI water.

Demonstration
Prepour 3 containers with 250 mls of solution 4, 3, and 2. Add a small amount of solution 1 to each to generate the colors.

Alternate, and this works better, prepour only a small amount of 4, 3, 2 in each beaker and add a large amount of 1 to each to get the colors.

Disposal
Solution may be poured down the drain and flushed with water.

Reference
California State University, Stanislaus