Honors Chemistry students at Lakehill preparatory School demonstrated the laboratory and math skills gained in the first semester by creating their own paints. Students practiced the math involved in determining precise amounts of chemicals required to make solid pigments that do not dissolve in water. They applied what they learned about solubility of compounds, interactions of different kinds of elements and compounds, measurements in chemistry, and laboratory techniques to mix chemicals safely, as well as extract and measure the products. 

In some of the more dramatic experiments, students mixed clear, colorless solutions that yielded a colored solid suspended in a clear liquid. One of the class favorites involved making a solution that was clear and orange and another that was clear and green. Upon mixing, they produced a cloud of dark-blue pigment which could be easily filtered and mixed with acrylic, oil, or some other binding agent to make a paint.  Students created vibrant yellows, oranges, reds, greens, purples, and blues and experimented with different binding agents to determine which combinations worked best. One group actually made mercury metal (to be used in a second reaction) from a yellow mineral containing the element. The final step was to create a masterpiece with the paints they made in class. 

 

See more pictures from the project.