The ideation and sketches for the brainstorming of my first outcome. I've decided to take on the chemistry approach, whereby the usage of different mysterious colourless liquids to create different colours when mixed together.
The whole idea of this outcome is to articulate the death of curiosity in designers. And it would be a laboratory test on the death of curiosity. In this project, I will
- Define curiosity
- Importance of curiosity
- Causes of the death in curiosity
- Effects of the death in curiosity
- Take away message
I will be doing 3 different mini outcomes.
- Print / mini posters to talk about the issue through documented photographs and text
- A documentation of the process through a short film video
- A participatory project with a takeaway message
I was planning to use laboratory acids to achieve the chemical reaction, however I was unable to get hold of them and I wasn't even sure what chemicals were they. So I did research on various methods that can achieve the same results but using the DIY way, which is using household substances to make my own pH indicator, acids and alkali.
1. Colour changing chemistry (http://www.hometrainingtools.com/color-change-chemistry-newsletter/a/1549/)
Trick 1 - Confounding Color
Can you get a liquid to change color simply by pouring it into another container?
Materials:
- Four flasks, beakers, or drinking glasses
- Universal indicator
- Vinegar
- Ammonia
- Pipets
What to do:
- Put 25 drops of universal indicator into the first flask, and then add 200ml of water.
- In the second flask, put a dropper-full of vinegar.
- Add a dropper-full of ammonia to the third flask. (Be very careful not to breathe in the strong fumes from the ammonia!)
- Put 100ml of vinegar in the fourth flask.
- Slowly pour the contents of the first flask into the second one, then the second into the third and the third into the fourth.
What's happening?
The secret of this magic color change is pH. Chemicals with a low pH (0-6) are acidic, while those with a high pH (8-14) are basic. (A pH of 7 is neutral: neither acidic nor basic.) Universal indicator is a chemical that changes color in the presence of acids and bases from a pH of 2 to 10. Acids turn the indicator red, pink, orange, and yellow, while bases turn it green, blue, and purple. Vinegar is an acid, so when you poured the indicator solution into the second flask, it turned red. Ammonia is a base, so when you mixed the acidic vinegar solution with ammonia, it raised the pH and the water turned blue. If you had enough vinegar in your last flask, the solution should have turned red again. (If it didn't, try adding a little more vinegar.)
2. Red Cabbage pH Indicator (http://chemistry.about.com/od/acidsbase1/a/red-cabbage-ph-indicator.htm)
Make your own pH indicator solution! Red cabbage juice contains a natural pH indicator that changes colors according to the acidity of the solution. Red cabbage juice indicator is easy to make, exhibits a wide range of colors, and can be used to make your own pH paper strips.
Red cabbage contains a pigment molecule called flavin (an anthocyanin). This water-soluble pigment is also found in apple skin, plums, poppies, cornflowers, and grapes. Very acidic solutions will turn anthocyanin a red color. Neutral solutions result in a purplish color. Basic solutions appear in greenish-yellow. Therefore, it is possible to determine the pH of a solution based on the color it turns the anthocyanin pigments in red cabbage juice.
The color of the juice changes in response to changes in its hydrogen ion concentration. pH is the -log[H+]. Acids will donate hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution and have a low pH (pH < 7). Bases accept hydrogen ions and have a high pH (pH > 7).
This video teaches me how to achieve the chemical reactions I wanted using household and everyday items. Through this video, I also learnt that I can use a red cabbage as my natural pH indicator and what different reactions they are when mixed with acids and bases.
- Lemon juice/vinegar (acid) = red
- Distilled water (neutralizer) = purple
- Baking soda ( weak alkali) = blue
- Ammonia (strong alkali) = green
- Lye = yellow
4. A Colorful Magic Trick with Acids and Bases
With this various materials, I will have a total of 5 bottles of chemicals which I will use for my participatory takeaway message corner for my user.
No comments:
Post a Comment