Final Episode – Rusting/Red Cabbage Indicator

Rusting

Resources needed:

• 4 iron nails
• 4 plastic or glass cups
• Sandpaper
• Sunflower/Vegetable/Olive Oil
• Water
• Salt
• Permanent marker
• 1 tablespoon
• Tweezers

Let’s experiment:

1. Label the 4 cups with a permanent marker with the words AIR, OIL, TAP WATER and SALT WATER respectively.
2. Use a piece of sandpaper to brush the nails until a shiny surface is revealed.
3. Add 1 nail to each container using the below instructions:
   1. Add nothing else apart from the nail to the cup labelled AIR.
   2. The one labelled OIL; cover half of the nail with Oil
   3. The one labelled TAP WATER; cover half of the nail with tap water.
   4. The one labelled SALT WATER; cover half of the nail with tap water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Mix this well until the salt dissolves.
4. Make a prediction: Which nails will form rust? Which nails will rust the quickest? Why?
5. Leave these in a cupboard or on a desk for a couple of weeks.
6. After two weeks, use a pair of tweezers to take the nails out of the cups. Observe the amount of rust produced on each nail and take note of your findings.

Take it further and repeat the experiment with different metals that you can find around the house, such as paper clips and coins.

Let’s make a Red Cabbage Indicator!

Resources needed:

• 1 Red Cabbage
• Glass or Metal bowl
• Water
• Kettle
• Knife
• Sieve

Please note that adult supervision is required when using boiling water and knives.

Let’s experiment:

1. Pour some water in a kettle and switch it on until the water starts to boil.
2. Cut up the red cabbage leaves using the knife into small pieces with the help of an adult (the smaller the pieces, the better!).
3. Add the chopped red cabbage leaves into the bowl and slowly pour boiling water on the red cabbage leaves.
4. Leave this to sit for about 30 – 45 minutes until the juice leaches out of the red cabbage leaves.
5. Using a sieve, filter out the red cabbage leaves from the red cabbage indicator.
6. Use this red cabbage indicator to test different liquids around the house such as vinegar, water and soda water.

If these liquids turn:

Red/Pink – it’s an ACID!

Purple – it’s NEUTRAL!

Blue/Green – it’s ALKALINE!