American Chemical Society: The Hidden Life of Spices

Saturday, Oct. 18

Our friends from the Lehigh Valley Local Section of the American Chemical Society will be here celebrating National Chemistry Week with special hands-on activities.

Invisible Writing with Turmeric: Have you ever wanted to send a secret message to a friend that no one else can read? Invisible inks can help you do that! In this activity we will learn how to use turmeric, a common household spice, to create a secret message.

Floating Cinnamon: Why does cinnamon float on water? Can cinnamon help keep us dry? Cinnamon is a special spice, but have you noticed how cinnamon will “float” on water but not easily mix? If you try to catch cinnamon, will a dry finger or wet one catch more? Let’s do the activity to find out!

Sense of Smell: Can your nose “sense” certain tiny differences in the shape of odor molecules? Have you wondered how we can detect so many different types of odors? There is chemistry behind food smells. In this activity, we will ‘spot the differences’ between two very similar molecules that dramatically change what we smell. Can your left hand fit in a right glove? Your nose knows!