Nature is full of bright colours, especially in spring - reds and yellows are particularly striking. You can find them everywhere in the environment: in tulips, eggs, fish... They all have something in common. This experiment, which you can easily do at home, is about nature's tricks and the secret of its colours. If you take about 40 minutes (and wait a few minutes), you can dive deep into the subject of flower dyes.
Needed for the experiment:
A bunch of red-yellow tulips
Filter paper (e.g. white coffee filters)
High-purity quartz sand (e.g. fine quartz sand for the aquarium)
Methylated spirits (without acetone and HCl)
Colourless baby oil
Tap water
Everything about the experimental set-up and procedure can be found on the Lab@Home page. You will also find everything about the biological background of the so-called carotenoids and even more exciting material. Have fun trying it out!
