Exhibition chemistry

Spectacular science demonstrations to inspire your students

A glass dish with sweets around the edge whose colours have bled into the middle

Dissolve coloured sweets to create a rainbow

2024-10-21T05:02:00+01:00By

Demonstrate diffusion, density and the particle model to your 14–16 learners in this easy experiment

A conical flask of yellow liquid bubbles with a heavy white smoke

Demonstrations with dry ice

2024-08-27T06:00:00+01:00By

Explore changes of state and neutralisation reactions with this trio of demonstrations using solid carbon dioxide 

A hand using scissor-handle tweezers to hold a piece of paper that is on fire but not burning

Non-burning paper: investigate the fire triangle and conditions for combustion

2024-06-10T05:00:00+01:00By

Use this reworking of the classic non-burning £5 note demonstration to explore combustion with learners aged 11–16 years

A glass beaker pouring liquid uphill into another

Illustrate polymer properties with a self-siphoning solution

2024-04-22T05:38:00+01:00By

Demonstrate the tubeless siphon with poly(ethylene glycol) and highlight the polymer’s viscoelasticity to your 11–16 learners

A photo of a test tube of a clear liquid containing with brown-edged blue liquid blobs. The test tube is also submerged in a clear liquid.

Demonstrate concentration and density with a transition metal colloid cell

2024-02-19T10:06:00+00:00By

Boost 11–14 learners’ understanding of diffusion and transition metal chemistry

A round glass flask glowing blue

Highlight transition metal chemistry with an oscillating luminol reaction

2023-12-11T09:25:00+00:00By

Light up your 16–18 learners’ interest in catalysis and transition metal properties with this chemiluminescent reaction

A series of photos of glass beakers of a clear blue liquid turning to an opaque orange. Then another clear chemical is added by syringe and the liquid turns back to clear blue.

Reversible reactions with transition metal complexes

2023-10-16T08:30:00+01:00By

Use this copper-based, colour-changing demonstration to introduce your 14–16 learners to reversible reactions

A number of glass conical flasks attached by clamps to a metal stand. Each flask has a colourful balloon sealed around its neck that has been sucked inside the flask.

Demonstrate changes of state using volume differences

2023-08-07T09:30:00+01:00By

Use this demonstration to reinforce the differences between states of matter with your 11–14 learners

Lots of small bubbles in a clear liquid rising to the surface

Creating a supersaturated gas evolving oscillator

2023-06-05T09:26:00+01:00By

Use this fizzy practical for a kinetic and thermodynamic showdown in class

A glass vial with a white lid containing a green liquid that is separating between blue at the top and yellow at the bottom. Other vials of different two-colour liquids are behind.

Demonstrate intermolecular forces with colourful separations

2023-03-27T09:14:00+01:00By

Layer intermolecular interactions into your practical lessons with these chromatic experiments

A round glass flask holding blue liquid and a teabag

Brew up interest in redox with this quick reduction

2023-01-23T10:00:00+00:00By

Use this fresh, fast approach to demonstrate the colourful oxidation states of vanadium

Oxidation states

Demonstrating the chameleon redox reaction with a lollipop

2022-12-05T09:42:00+00:00By

Give your students a sweet treat with this colourful manganate(VII) reaction demo