Science Camp: Alternative Edible Chemistry Experiments

Last post I promised to write alternative experiments for the Edible Chemistry Kit.  The chemical ingredients are listed below.  Food grade calcium lactate or calcium chloride can substitute for food grade calcium acetate—which I can NEVER seem to find.  I don’t want to infringed on the kit’s experiments.  Let me share some fun edible experiments.  Here are red cabbage experiments from ACS.  The kids at Science Camp add sugar and use red cabbage powder to color their experiments.  The kids do most of their experiments in 3-5 ounce paper cups.  They only need to add one or two teaspoons of sugar and a tiny pinch of red cabbage powder.  You may want to dissolve a pinch of red cabbage powder in four ounces of water and use the solution.  The cabbage powder is expensive.

Sodium Alginate and Calcium Lactate:

First is Edible Water Pods from ACS.

Next is Slimy Spaghetti and Meatballs. (Here is some of the science.  NB that some of these experiments use calcium lactate, calcium chloride, or calcium acetate.  I have not noticed any difference between the three calcium compounds when used in these experiments.)

How about Bubble Tea?

Sodium Alginate Worms

Baking Soda and Citric Acid:

First is a fizzy drink What the Fizz?!

Next is this Chemical Baggie experiment.

Alia-seltzer has baking soda and citric acid in the tablets.  Here are several Alka-Seltzer labs.