Kamo High's Science Club has continued into Weeks 3 and 4 with a myriad of colour changes and a Sugar Snake!

In Week 3, we carried out the Chameleon experiment which looks at the different oxidation states of permanganate as it is reduced by sugar. During the reaction, KMnO4 (violet) is reduced to K2MnO4 (green), then it further reduced to MnO2 (brown/yellow). We got to experiment with different volumes of KMnO4 to see how it would impact the colour change.. For this reaction we pulled out our electronic balance and magnetic stirrer to see a tornado of colour!

In Week 4, we used sugar again, however this time it was to form a big black snake! Using a mix of baking soda, sugar and a firestarter, we set the powders on fire. This caused a spectacular chemical reaction resulting in a colour change of white to black, and a shape change from a small pile of powder to a giant solid snake! This reaction produces carbon dioxide gas that gets trapped in the air pockets of the carbon that is produced as the sugar boils which is what gives us the increase in volume.

It is fantastic to see our curious young minds investigating the world of science in a collaborative and supportive manner. Thank you for your continued support of the Science Club!

Kerri-Anne Regan