This week we learned about how the anthocyanin and flavonol pigments in red cabbage act as indicators. The anthocyanins turn reddish pink under acidic conditions and blue under more basic conditions, whereas the flavonols were colorless under acidic conditions and … Continue reading
After our lab on Tuesday where we used red-cabbage paper as indicator of pH, I was interested in learning more about anthocyanins, or the chemical that makes the paper turn blue or pink in the presence of bases or acids. … Continue reading
Last class we saw for ourselves that water and oil do not mix. This is due to the fact that water is polar and oil is non-polar. Water molecules form strong hydrogen bonds with each other and are not as … Continue reading
Last week Mala Radhakrishnan came to our class to teach us a bit of chemistry and introduce us to “chemistry poetry”. Mala explained that she first came upon this intersection between chemistry and poetry when she was coming up with … Continue reading
Professor Radhakrishnan showed us how oil and food coloring interacted with water and surface tension. She also discussed how soap works. Soaps are made up of long molecules with one end that loves water, and another that does not. This enables … Continue reading
This week my art is from an experiment I have conducted many times. While I did not have the materials to create the experiment again this past week, I found this image online of its execution. Corn Starch Experiment I … Continue reading
In reading the Alan Alda, Spokesman for Science article, I found myself making connections through the ‘decision’ of to be interested in science or not. Growing up, both inside and out of school, it seemed the favorite question was to … Continue reading
At this point, we are all too familiar with the snow that surrounds us. Those of us who spend time driving also know the snow to be the reason that the roads deteriorate so much each winter. Snow falls and … Continue reading
When I was reading Professor Conway’s article of doing science and making art, I was reminded of Leonardo Da Vinci. There was recently an article in The Guardian arguing whether Da Vinci was a great artist or a great scientist. … Continue reading
I had always considered cooking an art but was a little surprised at the level of scientific process involved. The green bean acidity test reignited my interest in molecular gastronomy. I was shocked to realize that many michelin starred restaurants … Continue reading