Cloudy Globs: Can You Make a White Gel From Two Clear Liquids?

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Using household materials, learners can make white gooey globs from clear solutions. Alum, dissolved in water, reacts with the hydroxide in ammonia to create aluminum hydroxide. This creates a soft, cloudy gel. This activity, located on page 2 of the PDF, is one of three activities in the Take Home guide for the Chemical Reactions unit in OMSI's Chemistry Lab. Also included on the PDF are two additional activities: Gas Production and Glow Fast, Glow Slow.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per student
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • two small jars or glasses (about 4-oz)
  • warm water
  • alum (in the spice aisle at grocery stores)
  • 1/2 teaspoon measure
  • 1 teaspoon measure
  • ammonia

Keywords

Subjects

  • Physical Sciences
    • Chemistry
      • Chemical Reactions
      • Solutions
    • States of Matter
      • Solids
      • Liquids

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • see color
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation