Column of colours
Objective: The objective of this practice is to create a column with liquids of different colours.
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Laboratory materials
4 beakers
Graduated cylinders
A teaspoon
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Reagents
Sugar
Water
Food coloring
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Questions
Which is the densest solution?
What would it happen if we mix the solutions in the opposite order?
Procedure
- Pour 100 mL of water into each of the beakers.
- Do not add anything in the first beaker. In the second one, add 3 tablespoons of sugar. In the third one, add 6 tablespoons of sugar, and 9 teaspoons of sugar in the last one.
- Stir well until all the sugar is dissolved.
- To differentiate them, add food colouring.
- Carefully, pour all the liquids into the graduated cylinder starting with the densest one.
Theoretical explanation
Dissolving sugar into water makes the solution denser. If the solutions are added carefully in decreasing order of density, they don’t mix completely and a beautiful and colorful column can be built. In the opposite order, the denser solutions would fall down and mix with the others.
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