Watercolor Paints

Concept: Solubility
Solubility is the physical property referring to the ability of a given substance, the solute, to dissolve in another substance, the solvent. As a rule of thumb, there is usually more solvent than solute. Generally, the solvent is also a liquid. The amount of solute that can be dissolved by the solvent is defined as solubility.

Read Aloud: Cool Chemistry Concoctions by Joe Rhatigan

Ingredients:

      ·         2 tbl. Baking Soda

      ·         1 tbl. White Vinegar

      ·         1 tbl. Corn Starch
      ·         ¼ tsp. Corn Syrup

      ·         Food Coloring
      ·         Ice Cube Trays

 Demonstration:

      ·         Mix together 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a plastic up until the mixture stops fizzing.
      ·         Add 1 tablespoon of corn starch and ¼ teaspoon of corn syrup to the cup and stir until all the corn starch has dissolved.
      ·         Pour the mixture into an ice cube tray so that it is divided equally among all the compartments.

      ·         Add 6 drops of food coloring to each compartment of the ice cube tray.

      ·         Wait 24 hours for the mixture to harden before using the paint.

Experiment:

·         Can the paints be used without water?

·         Can the paints be used with other liquids?

Observations:
A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble base. The addition of water, a solvent, to the paints lifts the pigments and allows them to be transferred onto paper. Watercolor paints are usually transparent and appear luminous because the pigments are laid down in a relatively pure form with few fillers obscuring the colors.