Saturday, January 14, 2006

Dracula's Favorite Soap- Science experiment


You'll need:
a bar of soap
2 or 3 laxatives (or pills such as Ex-Lax or Feen-a-Mint.)
1 Tablespoon of rubbing alcohol (15ml)

What to do:
Mash one or two pieces of the laxative in a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol. Rub some of the solution on your hand and allow it to dry. Then wash off with the soap.

What happens:
The soapy water turns bright red.

Why?: The laxative contains a compound know as phenolphthaliem. This substance turns a brilliant red when mixed with an alkali. Soap is make from fat boiled together with a strong alkali. When you add water, you free some of the alkali. This alkali mixes with the phenolphthaliem on your hands- and turns your hands blood red.

1 comment:

Netter said...

Someone told me that this didn't work. I don't know why not...it worked for us. Strange.