State of the Art Chemistry:
A Hands-on Program
An Educational Demonstration Package
Prepared by the
Cleveland Section
of the
American Chemical Society
National Chemistry Week 2001
Overview
Celebrate National Chemistry Week by exploring the world of art through the eyes of a
chemist! This year’s demonstrations encourage participants to act as museum curators
with the task of distinguishing between "authentic" and "replica" pieces of artwork and
other artifacts. Students will learn about paper, ink, paint, ceramic, metals, fabric, and
other mediums used by artists as they conduct hands-on experiments based on the
chemistry and science of these materials.
Table of Contents
Page
Check-Lists
4
Experimental Setup
6
Opening Session
10
Closing Session and Clean-Up
30
Appendix
31
Acknowledgements
The National Chemistry Week (NCW) programs of the Cleveland Section ACS began in
1994 with an idea to put together a scripted program that could be performed at any local school
or library. This idea has expanded to become the centerpiece of Cleveland Section's NCW
activities, which has received national recognition from the American Chemical Society. In
2001, the Cleveland Section volunteers will perform nearly sixty demonstrations at libraries,
schools, and other public sites. New this year, the Cleveland Section will also be providing
training and materials for Cleveland-area teachers (at the Cleveland Regional Council of Science
Teachers’ Fall Conference) so that they can conduct additional programs in their own
classrooms.
This library/school program and other NCW events are the result of the hard work of many
dedicated and talented volunteers. It all starts with our local section NCW Planning Committee.
The Committee develops a theme for the program; recommends, tests, and reviews activities &
experiments; writes a script; collects supplies and materials; prepares the kits; recruits sponsors
and volunteers; contacts libraries and schools; and schedules shows. This Committee, as well as
the rest of the Section's NCW activities, are overseen by the Cleveland Section's NCW
coordinators, Paula Fox and Kat Wollyung. Committee members include Shermila Singham,
Lois Kuhns, Helen Mayer, Marcia Schiele, Rich Pachuta, Fen Lewis, Betty Dabrowski, Mike
Setter, Mark Waner, Peggyann Moore, Don Boos, and Maria Lopez. Additional credit and
thanks is given to Kat Wollyung for writing this year's script and to all of the unnamed GAK
(Grand Assembly of Kits) Day volunteers who gave a Saturday in October to help count,
measure, and assemble all of the necessary materials for our demonstration kits.
Our NCW efforts reach farther this year because of various sponsors who have donated
money, materials, and/or services to the Cleveland Section specifically for National Chemistry
Week. We are especially grateful to NASA Glenn Research Center, John Carroll University,
Allegheny Rodney (Ivyland, PA), Loctite Corporation, Alice's Ceramics (Austinburg, OH),
and Wal-Mart (Brooklyn Store) for their numerous contributions and support.
Last and most important, we thank all the volunteers who donate their time and expertise.
Without the dozens of dedicated chemical professionals to lead these activities, there would be
no Cleveland Section NCW program.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
2
Overview
Demonstrator’s Guide
How Experiment Write-ups are Organized
The materials and set-up of the demonstrations are located in the introduction section of this
packet. Then, each experiment write-up is presented as follows:

Background Information for Demonstrators

Demonstration Instructions

Experiment Conclusions

Additional Information If Needed
Presentation Overview
This section describes the basic presentation technique used during the demonstrations.
This is a guideline only as the technique may vary for some experiments. Make sure you follow
the instructions given in each experiment.
1. Introduce experiment.
2. Do your demonstration piece.
Note:
Most experiments require you to perform the experiment to show the
students what to do on their own.
3. Have the students do their experiment.
Note:
work
For some experiments your demonstration and the students’ hands-on
are nearly simultaneous. You are leading them as they perform the
experiment.
4. Some experiments will be done by all students. For others, there will be one experiment that
will be shared by all students at the table. In a few cases, only the demonstrator will perform
the experiment. You are encouraged to get student helpers for the demonstrator-only
experiments.
MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS IN EXPERIMENTS
Some experiments have special safety concerns due to the materials being used. Any safety
concerns are listed in the section for that experiment. Material Safety Data Sheets for the
chemicals used in this program are provided in the Appendix A.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
3
Check-Lists
Demonstrator’s Guide
Demonstration Check-Off List
The next few pages list suggested activities to complete for the program.
Activities To Do Before the Day of the Demonstration
Read through this packet to familiarize yourself with the experiments
Collect the materials you need to bring with you to the demonstration.
The materials list begins on page 6.
Contact the children’s librarian:

Ask the room to be arranged with 6 tables around a front table

Ask to have 5 chairs around each of the 6 tables

Ask for all the tables to be covered with newspapers and for extra
paper towels for each table.

Ask about availability of demonstration materials from list on
page 6 (ex. water, paper towels, extension cord)

Make sure that the room is available before and after the program
for set up and clean up.
Activities To Do When You Get To The Library
Arrive approx. 1 hour before demo time to allow for set up
Introduce yourself to the children’s librarian
Ask the librarian how many students are pre-registered
Confirm that the tables and chairs are set up properly
Confirm that all tables are covered in newspaper and have paper towels
Obtain any additional supplies (from list on page 6) if provided by library
Complete Demonstration Set-Up for all demonstrations: (see “Activities
to Do On-Site Prior to Demonstration” on page 8 and 9)
 When Complete



 When Complete







Note: This set-up is estimated to take 30-45 minutes.
Set out the literature (Experiments To Do at Home, Book List,
ChemMatters magazines, and NCW Activities newspapers)
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section

4
Check-Lists
Demonstrator’s Guide
Activities To Do During The Demonstration
Timing
Welcome the students and parents as they enter the room
-
Assess number of students per table and adjust to 3 - 5 per table. Record the
number of students and adults on the Feedback Form.
-
Complete the Opening Session introduction and distribute the goggles
Perform demonstrations
5 min.
Total Time:
55 min.

Experiment 1: Older Metal – Aluminum vs. Stainless Steel
5 min.

Experiment 2: Paint – Prussian Blue
10 min.

Experiment 3: Papers and Inks – Chromatography & Fluorescence
10 min.

Experiment 4: Frames – glass vs. polycarbonate
3 min.

Experiment 5: Fabric Identification with Powdered Drink Mixes
10 min.

Experiment 6: Ceramic or Plaster of Paris
5 min.

Experiment 7: Take-Home Activity – Clay Art Objects
7 min.
Complete the Closing Session information, collect goggles, and hand out
literature
Activities To Do Immediately After The Demonstration
5 min.
 When Complete
Clean up as indicated in the “Clean up” section, including sanitation of
goggles if you will be re-using them for another library program

Give any left-over literature to the librarian


Give the following materials to the librarian to be returned by interlibrary
mail: demo survey sheet, goggles (in box), UV light (in cardboard sleeve)
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
5
Experimental Setup
Demonstrator’s Guide
Supplies Required for Demonstration (*For details, see Appendix.)
Items for the Demonstrator to Provide
1 gallon jug for waste collection
1 large garbage bag for waste collection, if none at site
1 gallon jug of water, if none at site
1 roll paper towels, if none at site
newspaper for covering tables, if none at site
extension cord (for UV light), if none at site
objects (shells, leaves, small stones, coins, etc.) to imprint in clay
small quantity of household bleach (for sanitizing goggles)
wash bin or bucket (for sanitizing goggles)
rags or old towels (for sanitizing goggles)
General:
1 demo survey sheet and envelope
1 sheet “Authentic”
1 sheet “Replica”
6 sheets “Authentic/Replica”
30 copies NCW activity newspapers
30 copies each of “Book List / Experiments To Do at Home” and “Chemical Origami”
10 copies of ChemMatters magazine
goggles* (30 child size and 2 adult size)
Experiment 1: Older Metal: Aluminum vs. Stainless Steel
10 ml 0.5 M copper (II) sulfate with NaCl in vial marked “CuSO 4” or “Cu solution”
31 aluminum pieces in zipper bag marked “Al”
31 stainless steel foil pieces in zipper bag marked “ss”
7 disposable plastic pipets
7 plastic opaque 3-oz. cups
Experiment 2: Paint – Prussian Blue
40 ml ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3.6H2O) solution in vial marked “A”
40 ml potassium ferrocyanide (K4Fe(CN)6.H2O) solution in vial marked “B”
10 ml 0.1 M NaOH in vial marked “NaOH”
15 grams calcium carbonate in zipper bag marked “CaCO3”
1 plastic spoon
7 craft sticks
7 paper cups, 3-oz.
7 opaque plastic 3-oz. cups marked “A”
7 clear plastic 5-oz. cups marked “B”
1 disposable plastic pipet
7 “authentic” test pieces in zipper bag marked “Auth.”
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
6
Experimental Setup
Demonstrator’s Guide
7 “replica” test pieces in zipper bag marked “Rep”
31 cotton swabs
31 half-sheets of white paper
Experiment 3: Papers and Inks – Chromatography and Fluorescence
1 sketch on “authentic” paper
1 sketch on “replica” paper (fluoresces with UV light)
31 “authentic” paper test samples in zipper bag marked “Auth”
31 “replica” paper test samples in zipper bag marked “Rep”
7 tall plastic cups (9 oz) ** NOTE: YOU MAY HAVE SHORTER CUPS AND MAY
NEED TO ADJUST YOUR EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE SLIGHTLY
7 chromatography strips with “old/authentic” ink dot
7 chromatography strips with “new/replica” ink dot
UV light in cardboard sleeve
extension cord if needed
water
paper towels
Experiment 4: Frames (glass vs. polycarbonate)
7 glass slides in zipper bag marked “glass”
7 polycarbonate slides (with corner peeled) in zipper bag marked “poly”
UV light, extension cord, and “new” paper samples from Expt. #3
Experiment 5: Fabric Identification with Powdered Drink Mixes as Dyes
3 packages Kool-Aid, 1 each of cherry, orange, and grape
9 cocktail-style plastic cups
27 silk swatches (2” x 2”) in zipper bag marked “silk”
9 polyester swatches (2” x 2”) in zipper bag marked “poly”
3 multi-fiber ribbon pieces – 1”
9 plastic forks
paper towels
1 quart water
Experiment 6: Ceramic or Plaster of Paris
1 bag of ceramic pieces marked “A” (authentic)
1 bag of plaster pieces marked “B” (replica, marked with a green dot on the corner)
10 ml 5% HCl solution in vial marked “HCl”
1 disposable pipet
Experiment 7: Take-Home
1 bag of homemade clay
31 paper plates
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
7
Experimental Setup
Demonstrator’s Guide
31 toothpicks
objects to imprint as supplied by demonstrator
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
8
Experimental Setup
Demonstrator’s Guide
Activities to Do On-Site Prior to Demonstration
General:

Place one “Authentic/Replica” sheet on each of the students tables

Place the “Authentic” and “Replica” sheet on the demonstrator’s table
Experiment 1: Older Metal: Aluminum vs. Stainless Steel

Distribute the blue copper (II) sulfate, sodium chloride solution into the 7 small cups.

Place one cup of copper solution and one disposable pipet onto each of the student tables.

Place 5 pieces of aluminum foil and 5 pieces of stainless steel foil onto each of the student
tables; BE SURE to keep the two piles separated!

Place one cup of copper (II) sulfate solution, one pipet, one aluminum piece, and one ss piece
on the demonstrator’s table.
Experiment 2: Paint – Prussian Blue

Distribute solution “A” into the 7 opaque 3-oz cups marked “A”; place one cup on each table.

Distribute solution “B” into the 7 clear 5-oz cups marked “B”; place one cup on each table.

Use the plastic spoon to divide the CaCO3 evenly between the 7 paper cups; place one on
each student table and one on the demonstrator’s table.

Place 5 cotton swabs, one craft stick, 5 half-sheets of white paper, one “authentic” canvas, and
one “replica” canvas on each student table.

Place one cotton swab, one craft stick, one half-sheet of paper, one “authentic” canvas, one
“replica” canvas, the pipet, and the NaOH solution on the demonstrator’s table.
Experiment 3: Papers and Inks – Chromatography and Fluorescence

Pour approx. _ inch of water (the elution solvent) into each of the cups, and distribute them
among the 7 tables.

Make a gentle fold (lengthwise) in the chromatography paper samples (this will help them
“stand’ better in the cups).

Place 5 “authentic” papers and 1 “authentic” pen-marked strip on each of the student tables.

Place 5 “replica” papers and 1 “replica” pen-marked strip onto each of the student tables,
making sure not to mix up the two piles.

Place one paper towel on each of the student tables.

Place the “authentic” sketch, the “replica” sketch, 1 “authentic” paper sample, 1 “authentic”
chromatography strip, 1 “replica” paper sample, 1 “replica” chromatography strip, a paper
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
9
Experimental Setup
Demonstrator’s Guide
towel, and the UV light (with extension cord if necessary) on the demonstrator’s table.
Experiment 4: Frames – Glass vs. Plastic

Place 1 glass and 1 polycarbonate sample onto each table.

Make sure that the UV light, when plugged in, is able to reach each table.
Experiment 5: Fabric Identification with Powdered Drink Mixes

Prepare each of the powdered drink mix dye solutions by dissolving a packet in 100 ml of
water. (A line has been drawn at the 100 mL level on one of the cups to make measuring
easier.) *This can be done at home, prior to the demonstration and stored in small bottles.*

Divide each of the prepared dye solutions among three of the cocktail cups.

Place a set of all three dyes on the demonstrator’s table.

Distribute the other cups of dye among the student tables so that each table has one cup of
dye.

Put 4 swatches of “natural” silk fiber fabric, 1 swatch of “synthetic” polyester fiber fabric, a
paper towel, and one plastic fork on each student table.

Place three pieces of multi-fiber ribbon, three pieces of silk fabric, three pieces of polyester
fabric, a paper towel & three forks on the demonstrator’s table.
Experiment 6: Ceramic vs. Plaster of Paris

Place 1 ceramic piece and 1 plaster piece on each student table.

Place 1 ceramic piece, 1 plaster piece, the disposable pipet, and the HCl solution on the
demonstrator’s table.
Experiment 7: Take-Home

Place 5 paper plates and 5 toothpicks, and a few impressionable objects on each student table.

Place 1 paper plate, 1 toothpick, and impressionable objects on the demonstrator’s table.

Place the bag of homemade clay on the demonstrator’s table. (DO NOT distribute the clay to
the student tables until just before performing the activity because it will dry out.)
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
10
Opening Session
Demonstrator’s Guide
Opening Discussion
Introductions
Do the following:

Introduce yourself as a chemist, and introduce the American Chemical Society as the largest
organization in the world devoted to a single profession.

Introduce National Chemistry Week - what it is and why we do it. (Hint: it is a nationwide
event put on by volunteers like you to let non-chemists know about chemistry and how it has
improved our everyday life.)
What is Chemistry and Chemicals?
Do the following:

Explain that chemistry is the study of everything around them.

Ask for volunteers to name some chemicals. Then ask more volunteers to name something
that isn't a chemical.
Remember: everything around us is a “chemical”.
Be very careful in correcting the students. Encourage their participation
while explaining that anything they name really is a chemical.
What Do Chemists Do?

Ask the participants to tell you what a chemist does, what a chemist looks like.

Tell them BRIEFLY and in simple terms what you do as a chemist.
Note:

This should last no more than 1 minute. Remember to leave the physical chemistry
lecture and the “big” chemistry words at home!
Tell them that chemists use their knowledge to answer questions about the world around
them. This is very exciting, as they will soon see.
Introduce Today’s Presentation: State of the Art Chemistry
Do the following:
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
11
Opening Session
Demonstrator’s Guide

Tell the students that many objects that were either tools or art in the past are considered
to be art today and have been around for a long time.

TIMELINE TIDBITS:
6500 BC - First clay pots & bowls in use
3600 BC - Copper & tin alloyed to make bronze
2640 BC - Silk production begins in China
1200 BC - Egyptians make linen from flax
1885 - First plastic, called celluloid, invented. One of its commercial uses was to replace
the ivory in billiard balls.

Tell the students that a very interesting mystery has occurred and you need their help to
solve it.

Tell the students that they can help by acting as art conservation chemists for the next
hour. Art conservation chemists help art conservators and curators understand the
materials and methods used by artists to make works of art. They also develop and test
new materials and techniques that can help preserve artworks. Sometimes art
conservation chemists are called on to determine if the materials used in a work of art are
consistent with the object’s presumed creation date. In other words, they can determine if
the object is authentic or whether it is a replica, or forgery, or contains portions that were
altered at some later date.

Give them the following background information (provide as much of this information as
you are comfortable with):
For years, individuals have made replicas of special art pieces. There are many different
reasons for making duplicate art pieces. During the Renaissance, it was common for an
artist to make an original painting, and then have the students in his workshop make
copies. The artist would then sign the various copies himself. It is now believed that at
least half of the paintings attributed to the Dutch painter Rembrandt were not actually his
own work, but those of his students. Nowadays, such actions would be considered fraud,
but at the time, it was common practice. Other types of replicas were due to the nature of
the art form. Another Renaissance artist, Albrect Durer, created art from woodcuts. In
woodcutting, a block of wood is carved, pressed into paint, and then pressed onto paper
(similar to today’s rubber stamps). Many pieces of art can be made from the same
woodcut. Woodcuts can also be traced back to ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, and
China. In Europe, woodcuts were used for making prayer card for pilgrims, playing cards,
simple prints, and block books. (Woodcuts are considered the earliest form of printing).
Bronze statues are another form of art that has often created multiple copies. The artist
makes a mold for the statue, then casts multiple copies of the mold. The French artist
Auguste Rodin’s famous “Thinker” statue was cast several times; copies can be found in
New York, Philadelphia, Paris, and other locations.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
12
Opening Session
Demonstrator’s Guide
These days, museum curators might make a duplicate piece so that the original can be
protected from damage or so that the item can be displayed in different locations at the
same time. Duplicate pieces made for dishonest reasons and passed off as the original,
even though they aren’t, are called “fakes” or “forgeries”.

Set-up our the premise to our demonstration program by explaining to the students that a
special collection of art objects has been transported to Cleveland for a special display.
The collection contains original, or “authentic” pieces and copies, or “replicas” that were
created to look like the originals. In transit, the various boxes got all mixed up! The
replicas look so much like the original “authentic” pieces, that it is difficult to tell them
apart just by looking at them.
It is our job as art conservation chemists to determine which of the objects are the
originals and which are the copies so that they can be properly labeled and displayed. The
good news is that we know many things about the nature of the authentic and replica
pieces such as when they were created and what they were made from. We also have
some artifact sample pieces that we can use to perform our various tests on. We will use
our knowledge of the chemistry of materials to help tell them apart!

Tell the students that we will be using the scientific method to guide us in our
investigation. We will make observations, form a hypothesis, uses experiments to test our
hypothesis, and then evaluate the results of the experiment to accept or reject the
hypothesis.

Finally, indicate to the students that although we are pretending to be art conservation
chemists, we are not testing actual works of art. Art conservationists must be very careful
not to do any damage to the artwork that they are testing. Some of the tests that we are
doing are “destructive” and would not be used on actual artwork. The artifact samples
that we are using have been created special for our use. (For additional information on
tests used by art conservation scientists, see Appendix B.)
Introduce the Items on the Tables
Do the following:

Tell the students that samples of the artifacts have been gathered for them on their table.

Tell them not to touch anything until instructed to do so. Remind them never to taste or
smell anything, as if they were in a laboratory!

A sheet marked “Authentic / Replica” has also been placed at each table. As we test the
various objects, we will be able to sort them into two piles.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
13
Opening Session
Demonstrator’s Guide

Put your goggles on and instruct the students to do the same. Tell the students that they
will need to wear the goggles throughout the program while they are conducting and
observing experiments, as they would in a laboratory!
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
14
Experiment 1
Demonstrator’s Guide
Experiment 1: Which is the Older Metal: Aluminum vs. Stainless Steel
Experiment Summary
• Participants will test to see which of the metal samples is aluminum and which is the stainless
steel by testing for the displacement of copper from aqueous solution.
• This experiment will be done per student, and will take only about 5 min to complete.
Introduce the Experiment
Tell the students the following:

Although we find aluminum all around us today (e.g. airplanes, pop cans, car parts, etc.) prior
to 1886 aluminum was used only for special cases because of its high cost. For example, one
of its uses was for making fine jewelry. In 1884, a six pound pyramid shaped piece of
aluminum was used as the cap on the Washington monument. The discovery of the modern,
cheaper process for purifying aluminum was developed just down the road by Charles Martic
Hall at Oberlin College (in 1886).

65 years before Hall found a cheaper way to purify aluminum, a Frenchman named Berthier
found that adding chromium to iron made a substance that was more resistant to rust than iron
itself. This alloy (i.e. mixture of metals) is referred to as stainless steel.

The pieces of metal foil on your table are either highly pure aluminum or stainless steel. The
samples were mixed up when the special collection of art and artifacts was being moved. The
aluminum is from mid-19th century jewelry and the stainless steel was used to make copies of
that jewelry. At the time, the stainless steel copies were less expensive that the more valuable
aluminum.

Aluminum can react with solutions of copper (which tend to have a nice blue color) to form
copper metal, but stainless steel has no such reaction with copper solutions.
Perform the Experiment Simultaneously with the Students
Do the following:

Have the students locate the opaque 3-oz. plastic cup of the blue copper sulfate solution

Have each student take one each of the two types of metal pieces.

Have the students take turns using a pipet to add 1-2 drops of copper solution to each of their
foil pieces. (You may need to show them how the pipet works.)

Have them each keep a close eye on each of their samples and pay close attention to any
changes they see.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
15
Experiment 1
Demonstrator’s Guide
Conclusions
Tell the students the following:

Have students describe what they saw. Was there any difference between the two pieces of
foil? What did the samples look like while the reaction was happening?

Sometimes we can use a simple chemical reaction to distinguish between different metals
that look very similar. The aluminum reacted with the copper solution, whereas the stainless
steel did not.

Have the students place the Al in the authentic, & the SS in the replica areas of the form.

While aluminum is quite common today, it was not always this way. Before a good chemical
process was invented, aluminum samples were rare and unique, and therefore attractive to
artists making things like jewelry.
Additional Information If Needed: Technical Background
• The addition of approximately 12% chromium to a steel will significantly increase its
resistance to corrosion and oxidation. A thin passive oxide layer is formed on the surface of
the steel and this offers protection to many corrosive substances. As early as 1821 a
Frenchman, Berthier, recognised that iron alloyed with chromium was more resistant to acid
attack. (From: http://www.goodwin.co.uk/gsc/app_corrosion.htm)
• On February 23, 1886, in his woodshed laboratory at the family home on East College Street,
Charles Martin Hall succeeded in producing aluminum metal by passing an electric current
through a solution of aluminum oxide in molten cryolite. Aluminum was a semiprecious
metal before Hall's discovery of this economical method to release it from its ore. His
invention, which made this light, lustrous, and nonrusting metal readily available, was the
basis of the aluminum industry in North America.
Before 1886, aluminum was a semi precious metal comparable in price to silver. Although
the element had been investigated by many European scientists, the only way to prepare the
metal was by the complex and difficult process that culminated in reacting metallic sodium
with aluminum chloride. When the Washington Monument was completed in 1884, a 6pound pyramid of this costly aluminum was placed as an ornament at the very top. It also
served as the tip of the lightning rod system, a practical application of the high electrical
conductivity and corrosion resistance of this remarkable metal.
From: http://www.acs.org/landmarks/electrochem/index.html
•
Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals on earth. It can be recycled over and over
again. Recycling aluminum takes much less energy than mining the mineral bauxite from the
earth to produce new aluminum.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
16
Experiment 1
Demonstrator’s Guide
•
Greek mathematician Archimedes may have been the first "fakebuster" when it comes to
metals. He tested a king's "gold" crown using density and found that the crown was a fake!
It was not dense enough to be pure gold! www.arcaheology.org, January/February 2001)
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
17
Experiment 2
Demonstrator’s Guide
Experiment 2: Paint – Prussian Blue
Experiment Purpose & General Methodology
• The students will prepare a modern day pigment, Prussian blue, and paint their own picture
with it.
• Students will do a chemical test to distinguish between the Prussian blue pigment they created
and an older pigment, ultramarine, which does not react. They will also use this test to
distinguish the “authentic” and “replica” painting samples.
• This experiment should take about 10 minutes.
Introduce the Experiment
Tell the students the following:

Two paintings were found in our mixed-up crates of art.

Tell the students that they have small samples taken from the excess canvas on the backside
of the two paintings.

Ask the students how they might determine which sample came from the old painting and
which came from the new painting.

As the “expert”, indicate that there are a number of special tests that can be done without
destroying the painting but these require expensive equipment which we do not here today.

Indicate that there are also destructive methods of determining if the painting is old or new.

Ask the students for the predominate color in their painting samples. (Blue)

Tell the students that there are a number of blue pigments used today and in the past and that
you have narrowed down the blue pigment possibilities to two: Ultramarine or Prussian Blue.

Mention that as an art conservation chemist, you were on the Internet just today and learned
that Ultramarine is an older pigment that was used in the twelfth century, but Prussian blue is
a newer pigment that was not used before the 18th century.

Tell the students that they will make their own Prussian blue paint, and then use a simple test
to help distinguish between the “authentic” (old) and replica (newer) painting samples.
Perform Experiment Simultaneously with the Students
Do the following:

Have one student take the cup with solution “A” and another take the cup of solution “B”.

Ask the students to describe the colors of these individual solutions.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
18
Experiment 2
Demonstrator’s Guide

As the demonstrator, take your own solution “A” and pour it into solution “B” while everyone
watches the instantaneous color change. Tell them it is necessary that the pigment be stirred
thoroughly with the craft stick; stir as you count to 30.

Next add the powder marked CaCO3 to the pigment and mix thoroughly again.

Now ask the students to do the same: pour solution A into the larger cup containing solution
B and stir.

Have another student add the powder CaCO3 and continue stirring.

Let the students know that they can now use this pigment to make their own painting using
one of the half-sheets of paper and a Q-tip.

Give the students a few minutes to make their own masterpiece, while you also do one for the
identification technique.

Collect all the pigment and Q-tips and have the students place their paintings out of the way
before you proceed.

You will now show them a test on your Prussian blue painting to distinguish the newer
Prussian blue pigment from the older Ultramarine pigment.

Fill the pipet with the NaOH solution.

At each table, show the effect that one drop of this solution has on the Prussian blue pigment
of your recently completed painting. (It will change the pigment color.)

Now test for the new and old paintings on the samples at the students’ tables. Put a drop or
two of the NaOH solution on each of the samples at the student tables.
Conclusions
Tell the students the following:
 With this simple test we were able to distinguish between the two pigments which one is old
and which is new.
 Have the students observe the effect of the NaOH on the pigment, then separate their painting
samples as “authentic”/old (no change) or the “replica”/new (color change).
 Both of these pigments are used today, but the ultramarine is often synthetically produced to
make it a little less expensive. Because we knew we had one old and one new painting, and
that ultramarine was used 500 years before the Prussian Blue was created, we had our
answer.
 Thank them for helping to solve this problem with you.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
19
Experiment 2
Demonstrator’s Guide
Additional Information If Needed: Technical Background
•
All paints have two basic components-- a pigment (coloring material) and a medium (liquid
to spread the pigment). To make a permanent paint, the liquid medium must have two parts, a
solvent that evaporates and the film former that hardens, leaving a layer that protects the
pigment and sticks to the object being painted.
•
Prussian blue paint is created by mixing hydrates of iron (III) chloride (a yellowish solution)
with potassium ferrocyanide (a nearly colorless solution) to form a highly colored very
stable complex blue ion:
•
FeCl3 + K4Fe(CN)6 ------> KFe(II)Fe(III)(CN)6 + 3 KCl
This results in a mixed valence compound which undergoes charge transfer. The energy
associated with the readily shifting electron between the two iron ions is about the same as
the energy of light in the red, orange, and yellow parts of the spectrum ( 500-700 nm
wavelengths). As a result, Prussian blue absorbs these colors and reflects the bluish part of
the spectrum.
•
•
Prussian Blue was discovered in the early 18th century. Ultramarine blue was originally
created by grinding lapis lazuli, a semi precious stone. It began to be used as a pigment in
the 12th century. It has always been one of the costliest and most precious of painting
materials. Today it is made artificially. Ultramarine will not change color when exposed to
NaOH, but Prussian Blue will rapidly fade to a much lighter, pale yellow color.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
20
Experiment 3
Demonstrator’s Guide
Experiment 3: Papers and Inks – Chromatography and Fluorescence
Experiment Purpose & General Methodology.
• The students will compare "new" and "old" samples of paper using UV fluorescence to
determine which "sketch" is the authentic version and which is a modern reproduction.
• The students will use chromatography to conduct a second test on samples of the ink from the
“authentic” and “replica” pieces of artwork.
• This experiment has two parts. Each student will have two paper samples to test. Each table
will share one experimental set-up for the chromatography. Total time is 10 minutes.
Introduce the Experiment
Tell the students the following:

Show the students the two sketches and pass them around. Tell them that one is known to be
an older sketch, whereas the other is a modern-day reproduction.

Ask the students if they know of any way to tell which of the two sketches is old, and which
is new.

Tell the students that art conservationists can do tests on papers and on inks to determine if
the sketches were made using materials or techniques that were not available until modern
times.

The test that you will be using on the ink samples is called chromatography.
Chromatography takes advantage of the fact that different dyes “stick” to paper differently.
Our experiment will use water as the carrier to distinguish between ink that is water-based
and ink that is not water-based.

The test that you will be doing on the papers uses an ultraviolet light to look for differences
in the papers.
Perform the Experiment as a Demonstration, then Simultaneously with the Students
Do the following:

Pick up the chromatography samples and carefully place both strips into the cup containing a
small amount of water such that the black ink marks are near, but not under the waterline.
Fold any excess paper over the lip of the cup.

Instruct the students to do the same.

Ask the students if they see anything happening. (They should see the water starting to soak
up the paper.)
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
21
Experiment 3
Demonstrator’s Guide

Tell the students that we need the water to soak most of the way up the paper, which will take
a little bit of time, so we will come back to this part of the experiment after we look at the
paper samples.

Hold up the “sketch” samples and ask the students to locate their paper samples.

Have the students each take one sample form each pile of paper.

Tell the students that you will be using an ultraviolet light to look for differences in the paper
samples.

Ask for a volunteer (student or adult observer) to operate the lights.

Turn on the black light and have the volunteer turn off the room lights. Hold the black light
above each “sketch” to see if it fluoresces (glows) or not. Identify the “sketch” on the paper
that fluoresces as the "replica" and the “sketch” on the paper that does not fluoresce as the
"authentic" artwork.

Turn the room lights back on and have the students bring up their paper samples to see if they
fluoresce of not. Test the demonstrator’s paper samples as well. (Turning off the room lights
again as necessary.)

Turn the room lights back on and have the students return to their tables and classify their
paper samples as “authentic” or “replica”.

Return to the chromatography experiment and remove both samples from the water. Blot
some of the excess water gently on the paper towel.

Ask the students what difference they see between the two samples. (One ink sample has
moved and separated into colors; the other ink sample has not moved.)

Have the students classify their chromatography samples as “authentic” (ink has moved up
the paper) or “replica” (ink did not move).
Conclusions
Tell the students the following:

Newer papers are often contain optical whiteners to make them look brighter, whereas older
papers do not (optical whiteners were not generally used until after WWII.) Optical
whiteners have the property of fluorescence, which means they appear to glow brightly under
an ultraviolet light (sometimes called a “black light”). Optical whiteners are also added to
laundry additives to make clothes appear whiter and brighter.

The ink sample that “climbed up” the chromatography sample is a water-based ink. Waterbased inks will “run” when the paper gets wet (like washable markers and some writing
pens). Water-based inks have been around for a very long time and would be indicative of
the type of ink in our “authentic” sketch. The ink sample that did not move was made using
a non-water based ink. Non-water based inks use special solvents and have not been
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
22
Experiment 3
Demonstrator’s Guide
available for as long as water-based inks. The non-water based ink is indicative of our
“replica” sketch.

Black ink is made of many different colored dyes. When they are all mixed, they appear
black. In our chromatography experiment, we caused the different dyes in the water-based
ink to be separated so that the original colors could be seen. As the water soaked into the dry
paper, it
carried the water-based dyes along with it, but to different degrees. The dyes that “stick” to
the paper better move less; the ones that dissolve in the water better move more, causing
them to separate from one another.
Additional Information If Needed: Technical Background
• 4,000 B.C - Ancient Egyptians invented papyrus, the first substance similar to paper. Papyrus
was a woven mat of reeds, pounded together into a hard, thin sheet. The word "paper" actually
comes from the word "papyrus". Later on in history, the Ancient Greeks used a kind of
parchment made from animal skins for the same purpose.
• A.D. 105 - Paper as we know it was invented by Ts'ai Lun, a Chinese court official. It is
believed that Ts'ai mixed mulberry bark, hemp, and rags with water, mashed it into a pulp,
pressed out the liquid and hung the thin mat to dry in the sun. Paper would set off one of
mankind's greatest communication revolutions. Literature and the arts flourished in China.
• Chromatography is an analytical technique that can be used to determine the presence of
small amounts of samples. It is often used in forensic chemistry and in authenticating inks on
old documents.
• Fluorescence is a form of luminescence. Luminescence involves the emission of light by
means other than combustion, and thus occurs at lower temperatures than combustion.
Luminescence involves absorbing energy at certain wavelengths and then emitting this energy
as light. This is accomplished by electrons getting excited and jumping from inner orbitals of
the atoms to outer orbitals. When the electrons fall back to their original state, a photon of
light is emitted. If the light lasts for a short time, it is called fluorescence; if it lasts a long
time, it is called phosphorescence. The wavelength of light emitted has less energy (longer
wavelength) than the one absorbed.
• Ultraviolet light can also be used to find repairs that have been made to a painting.
• The new United States paper currency is currently being made with fluorescent strips to help
authenticate it and make it difficult to produce forgeries. The new $5, $10, and $20 bills (and
probably larger bills as well) have strips that glow with different colors under UV light.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
23
Experiment 4
Demonstrator’s Guide
Experiment 4: Are You Being Framed? The Answer is Clear!
(AKA: Glass vs. Polycarbonate)
Experiment Purpose & General Methodology
• The students will determine if the “glass” that was covering a painting is real glass or a new
synthetic polymer.
• Each table will share a set of glass and plastic slides, but each student will participate in the
experiment. This experiment will take 3 minutes to complete.
Introduce the Experiment
Tell the students the following:

Ask: Has anyone been to the Cleveland Art Museum? Do you remember seeing paintings?

At the Art Museum did you notice which paintings have glass over them and which don’t?

There is a chemical reason that some do and some don’t!
Oil paintings are not covered with glass. They usually have a frame but no glass. This is
because oil paintings often take a year to dry. Volatile gases (fumes) come off the painting
during this time. After one year, when the paint is hard and dry, the painting is varnished to
protect it. If you paint a picture and give it to someone, make sure they give it back in a year,
so you can varnish it!
Watercolors and pastels and modern acrylics are usually framed and put under glass to
protect them. However, if the acrylics look like oil paint (if the paint is laid on thickly and
the strokes are visible) they look good without glass.

If a painting came to the Art Museum, the art conservationists could do some tests to see if it
were really old or a recently painted fake. They could even test the “glass” covering the
picture to gain more information.

Glass has been around for a LONG time. It was first made around 5000 B.C. Today it is still
the best material to cover paintings except in some cases. Glass is cheap, readily available
(can buy it at a lot of stores), very clear or transparent (can see through it without distortion),
won’t scratch easily, and won’t buckle. A disadvantage is that it can break and shatter.
(Today, there are about nine kinds of glass with special features sold in framing stores.)

In today’s world, chemists have developed plastics that can take the place of glass. Even the
windshields of modern airplanes can be made of plastic instead of glass. There sometimes is
an advantage to using plastic instead of glass in the art world to protect paintings: plastic is
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
24
Experiment 4
Demonstrator’s Guide
lighter weight than glass, so when framing a huge picture, framers may suggest plastic.
When paintings are being shipped, you may use plastic, for safety reasons, because plastic
won’t break easily like glass. You can also drill through plastic, and for example, bolt a
painting to the side of a boat. The disadvantages of plastic are: it’s expensive, it can often be
scratched easily, and it can yellow with time.

Does anybody here wear glasses? Are they made of glass? Or a modern plastic? How can
you tell?

We have 2 samples here. One is glass and one is plastic (specifically, polycarbonate).
Chemists have various ways to determine which is which. One easy way is to see just how
clear the material is. Regular glass will let light through – even ultraviolet light or UV
(which is more energetic rays of energy than visible light). You probably heard of ultraviolet
rays from the sun causing sunburn.

But some modern plastics like polycarbonate don’t let UV light through.

We’ll use this property to tell which sample is glass that covered an old painting or a modern
plastic that blocks UV light. (We can also test your eyeglasses. Maybe they are made of
polycarbonate!)
Perform the Experiment Simultaneously with the Students
Do the following:

Have the students take a sample of the paper which they determined to be “new” (with optical
brighteners), and place it in the middle of their table.

Tell one student from each table to pick up the 2 samples and place them on the “new” paper
from the previous experiment.

Have the children guess if the samples are glass or plastic.

Tell them you will be coming around with a UV light.

Turn out the room lights and shine the UV light on each sample and observe what happens.

Have the students put the glass sample on the “Authentic” side of the summary sheet, and the
polycarbonate on the “Replica” side.
Conclusions
Tell the students the following:

The glass sample will allow UV light to pass through it and the UV rays will cause the
optical brighteners in the paper to fluoresce. You can see the bright white color through the
glass.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
25
Experiment 4
Demonstrator’s Guide

The polycarbonate sample with its UV filter, a modern material, absorbs the UV light and the
paper appears dark under it.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
26
Experiment 4
Demonstrator’s Guide
Additional Information If Needed: Technical Background
Artists’ Use of Glass and Plastic
• Regular glass is most commonly used in framing. Advantages: cheap, readily available, longlasting, very transparent, fairly scratch resistant, won’t buckle, no distortion of the painting,
unaffected by the normal, everyday environment, easily cleaned. Nowadays, properties can
be adjusted so that glass blocks UV (because UV light can fade a painting over time), is “nonglare” (although it tends to “fuzz” the painting if separated from it by more than one mat), etc.
• Disadvantages of glass include weight (for a huge painting, glass may be too heavy); it can
break and shatter (which is a safety concern); it has a slight green tint which may not be ideal
for fine watercolors or drawings.
• Disadvantages of plastic: it scratches more easily than glass, the quality of its appearance is
not as good as glass, it’s more expensive than glass.
GLASS
• Glass is one of the most ancient materials used by people. It was a mixture of silica sand
(from beaches), soda ash (from burned wood), and limestone (from seashells). This stuff is
still readily available, and amazingly, modern soda lime silicate glass is similar to the old
glass!
• Silica is units of silicon and oxygen joined together. In sand, these units are in an orderly,
crystalline pattern. To make glass, the sand and additives are put in a furnace and melted and
fused together. In glass, the silica units are disordered and jumbled; glass is an amorphous
substance (meaning no distinct crystalline structure).
• What are 2 ways that glass is made in nature?! One is by volcanoes. This glass is called
obsidian (geologic glass). It was used by people thousands of years ago for arrows, jewelry,
etc. The other way is when lightning hits sand. You can see these glass tube-like structures
in the museum at the sand dunes at Kitty Hawks, Outer Banks, NC.
POLYMERS/PLASTICS
• The polymer used in this experiment is polycarbonate. It is used to store food and beverages,
in bike helmets, in CDs, in eyeglasses. It is very durable and shatter-resistant.
• The world’s first synthetic polymer was Bakelite in 1909. The man who invented it was Leo
Baekeland, who became an ACS president. He combined two small molecules into long, 3-D
chains to make a strong, hard material.
• Nylon was made in 1928. It was used in WW11 for parachutes, ropes, etc. The plastic that
won the war, however, was polyethylene, used as insulation in radar.
• Methyl methacrylate is the clear, hard plastic in Lucite and Plexiglas, used in making glasses,
camera lenses, windows in airplanes, etc.
• Modern chemistry has continued work in developing useful polymers.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
27
Experiment 5
Demonstrator’s Guide
Experiment 5: Fabric Identification with Powdered Drink Mixes as Dyes
Experiment Purpose & General Methodology
• Each student will dye a fabric swatch to test between natural and synthetic fabric fibers.
• The experiment should take about 10 minutes to complete.
Introduce the Experiment
Tell the students the following:

Tell the students that there are dyes that are only taken up by certain types of fabrics, and that
we will test for synthetic (man-made) vs. natural fibers with a dye test.
Perform the Experiment Simultaneously with the Students
Do the following:

Explain to the students that a chemist wanting to test a new dye on different fabrics would use
a multi-fiber ribbon such as the one you are using.

Immerse your multi-fiber strips (one in each different dye) in the “dye”.

Let them remain in the “dye” for 3-4 minutes.

Ask the students if they can name different natural fabrics (cotton, silk) or synthetic fabrics
(nylon, polyester, rayon). Discuss the different types of fibers in the test ribbon.

Remove the strips from the dyes using a plastic fork and lay out on paper toweling to dry.

Now test the fabric pieces that were found in the special art collection.

Tell the students to each take one of the fabric pieces found on your table and immerse it in
the cup of “dye”.

Let it remain in the “dye” for 3-4 minutes.

Remove the fabric from the “dye” using the plastic fork, and lay it out on a piece of paper
toweling to dry.
Conclusions
Tell the students the following:

Identify the fibers in your sample. Ask them whichof the samples have turned color.

Ask the students to name a “natural” fiber, a “synthetic” fiber.

Ask the students if their sample was a “natural” fiber or a “synthetic” fiber.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
28
Experiment 5
Demonstrator’s Guide

Assuming that an older painting or fabric artifact, such as a tapestry, would be made of a
natural fiber and that food dyes were used prior to the twentieth century for dying fabrics it is
expected that the natural fiber will be dyed by the drink mix and the synthetic fiber will not be
dyed.

Have the students classify their fabric samples as “authentic” (natural fiber) or “replica”
(synthetic fiber).
Additional Information / Technical Background

Since Prehistoric times people have dyed cloth. The “wearing of the purple” has long been
synonymous with royalty, due to the cost and rarity of Tyrian purple, a dye derived from the
sea snail Murex brandaris. The organic chemical industry originated with William Henry
Perkin’s discovery of the first synthetic dye, Perkin’s Mauve, in 1856.

Acetate and viscose are derivatives of cellulose but direst dyeing of these fibers is more
difficult than direct dyeing of cotton, also a form of cellulose.

A simple hypothesis on dyeing is that the intensity of a dye on a fiber will depend on the
number of strongly polar or ionic groups in the fiber molecule. The more polar groups
present, the easier it is to dye the fiber.

Nylon is a polyamide and made by polymerizing adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine. The
nylon polymer chain can be prepared with on acid and one amine group at the termini, or with
two acids or two amines at the terminals. Except for these terminal groups, there are no polar
centers in nylon, and consequently it is difficult to dye. Similarly, Dacron, a polyester made
by polymerizing ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid, has few polar centers and consequently
is difficult to dye. Even more difficult to dye is Orlon, a polymer of acrylonitrile. Wool and
silk are polypeptides crosslinked with disulfide bridges. In wool and silk, the acidic and basic
amino acids provide many polar groups to which a dye can bind, thus making these fabrics
easy to dye.

Identity of multi-fibers (starting from black thread down) Acetate, Self Extinguishing Fiber,
Arnel (bright) Bleached Cotton, Creslan 61, Dacron 54, Dacron 64, Nylon 6,6, Orlon 75,
Spun silk, Polypropylene, Viscose (Rayon), Wool
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
29
Experiment 6
Demonstrator’s Guide
Experiment 6: Ceramic vs. Plaster of Paris
Experiment Purpose & General Methodology

The students will learn how to tell the difference between ceramic and plaster based on a
hardness test and reactivity with an acid (HCl).

This experiment will be performed with one set-up per table. This experiment should take 5
minutes.
Introduce the Experiment
Tell the students the following:

In the special collection, we have some pieces of ancient ceramic pottery. A replica of the
ceramic pieces was also made plaster of Paris, a much newer material and not very valuable.

Plaster of Paris is a softer material than the ceramic pottery.

Ask the students if they know how to tell which is the harder of two materials? (A hard
material will scratch a soft material but not the reverse.)

Plaster of Paris also contains some limestone.

Ask the students if they know what happens when an acid reacts with limestone.
(It gives off bubbles of carbon dioxide.)
Perform the Experiment along with the students.
Do the following:

Use piece B (green dot) to scratch piece A. Brush off the dust and show that there is no
scratch mark on A. Then use A to scratch B, brush off the dust and show the scratch mark.

Ask if either of the pieces is the replica; how do they know?

Tell the students that the second test will detect the presence of the limestone in the plaster of
Paris.

Add a drop of HCl to each piece at each table.

Tell the students to watch closely for any chemical reaction (such as bubbling).

What did they see?
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
30
Experiment 6
Demonstrator’s Guide
Conclusions
Tell the students the following:

Discuss how you now know which one is the replica made from plaster of Paris (it is softer
and scratched, and gave off bubbles when HCl was added) and which is the authentic piece
made from ceramic (it is harder and is not scratched).

Have the students place the pieces into the correct categories.
Additional Information If Needed: Technical Background
• A scratch test is a common way of identifying the hardness of minerals. The Mohs hardness
scale has a value of 1 to 10 with talc being no.1 and diamond no. 10.
1 - talc - easily scratched by fingernails, leaves greasy flakes on fingers
2 - gypsum - scratched by fingernail, but not easily
(chalk is made from gypsum, a sedimentary rock)
3 - calcite - scratched by penny
4 - fluorite - easily scratched by knife
5 - apatite - not easily scratched by knife
6 - orthoclase - scratched by steel file
7 - quartz - scratches glass easily
8 - topaz - scratches glass easily
9 - corundum - scratches glass easily
10 - diamond - scratches all other materials
• Water of hydration is water bonded to a molecule. Gypsum is calcium sulfate with 2 waters
of hydration. Heating gypsum drives off one and one half molecules to make plaster of Paris.
Plaster of Paris is two calcium sulfate molecules with one water of hydration shared between
them. When water is added the plaster of Paris rehydrates to gypsum (Ca2SO4*2H2O)
• Ceramics harden by a different method. Clay is a mixture of oxides and silicates. When
heated, the oxides form a glass-like matrix containing micro-crystals of silicates. This is a
very hard structure.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
31
Experiment 7
Demonstrator’s Guide
Experiment 7: Take-Home – Homemade Clay
Experiment Purpose & General Methodology
• The students will use clay to create their own art replica to take home.
• Each student will be able to work with the clay. This experiment will take 5 minutes.
Introduce the Experiment
Tell the students the following:

Some art objects, such as stone pendants and statues, are created by carving stone, clay
tablets, or bone (see picture on next page).

A similar effect can be achieved by imprinting or carving clay and allowing it to dry.

Tell the students that they will have the opportunity to make their own art object/replica to
take home using the home-made clay we brought today.
Perform the Experiment as a Demonstration, then Simultaneously with the Students
Do the following:

Distribute a small piece of clay (~3/4” – 1” ball) to each student.

Roll the clay into a ball and flatten into the center of the dessert plate.

Use the toothpick or other objects to imprint or carve patterns into the clay.

If the object will be a pendant for a necklace, use the toothpick to make a hole through the
clay near one edge.
Conclusions
Tell the students the following:
 Tell the students that they should allow their art object to dry and harden (for a couple of
days) before removing it from the paper plate.
Additional Information If Needed: Technical Background

The clay was made from flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, vegetable oil, and a little food
coloring.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
32
Experiment 7
Demonstrator’s Guide
• Some early writing (a symbolic representation of language) was discovered on small bone or
ivory tags dating from 3,200 to 3,300 BC. The tags were found on linen and oil bags in the
tomb of King Scorpion I in Egypt, presumably to indicate the apparent origin of their
contents.
•
One such example is below:
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
33
Closing Session and Clean-Up
Demonstrator’s Guide
Closing Session
Close Demonstration
•
Remind the students that they can take home the clay impressions and paintings they made.
•
Collect the goggles.
•
Hand out the Experiments To Do at Home, Book List, and NCW activity newspapers.
•
Tell the students that you have only 10 copies of ChemMatters magazine, which is written
for older children, and that if they have an older brother or sister or good friend that they may
want to take one home for them.
Clean Up
After the students leave, clean up the room
•
Return items borrowed from the library to a librarian.
•
In the liquid-waste jug, combine all waters first (i.e. water, Kool-Aid, copper sulfate
solutions); then add the other liquid wastes such as the HCl and NaOH solutions. (The
Prussian blue paint should be “solid” enough to be disposed of with the solid materials.) This
liquid waste can be put down the sink safely with running water.
•
All solid waste, including the newspaper and Prussian blue paint, can be collected in the
large garbage bag and thrown into the regular trash.
•
If you will be doing another demonstration program, you must sanitize the goggles with a
dilute bleach solution as follows:
Immerse goggles in a solution of household laundry bleach
(1 part bleach to 9 parts water). Rinse thoroughly with water
and dry completely.
•
Place the dry goggles into their box.
•
Return the UV light to its sleeve/box.
•
Complete the Feedback Form, place it into the collection envelope and seal the envelope.
•
Give the envelope containing the feedback form, the box of goggles, and the UV light to the
children’s librarian with instructions to put it into interlibrary mail.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
34
Appendix
Demonstrator’s Guide
Appendix
A. Material Safety Data Sheets
Attached.
B. Additional Techniques Used By Art Conservation Scientists
From “The Why Files” (http://whyfiles.org/081art_sci/3.html):
TECHNIQUE
Carbon dating
Ultraviolet Fluorescence
Polarized light microscopy
Infrared analysis
Conventional X-ray
X-ray diffraction
X-ray fluorescence
Neutron activation analysis
USE
Measuring age
Finding repairs
Pigment analysis
Detecting earlier paintings on same backing
Detecting earlier work under the surface
Analyzing crystalline components in pigments
Elemental analysis
Elemental analysis
C. Kit Contents – Supplemental List of Solutions and Special Supplies
The following is detailed information that could be used to recreate this demo kit again in the
future. Quantities indicated provide enough supplies for a minimum of 30 student
participants and the demonstrator. In some cases, the quantities of the solutions being
prepared are increased to facilitate preparation of the solution. Specific information regarding
possible suppliers is given where available.
Experiment 1 – Metals:
QUANTITY NEEDED
10 mL “CuSO4 solution”
DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS
0.5 M Copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO 4 5H2O) solution,
with 2-5 grams NaCl added per 100 mL of solution
31 aluminum foil pieces
standard foil, cut into 1x1” (or smaller) pieces,
(*If aluminum does not react well with the copper sulfate
solution, it should be pre-cleaned with 3-6 M HCl.)
31 stainless steel foil pieces 0.004” thickness, cut into 1x1” (or smaller) pieces
Experiment 2 – Paint
QUANTITY NEEDED
DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS
40 mL “A” solution
Ferric chloride hexahydrate solution – Dissolve 10 grams of
FeCl3 6H2O in 100 mL distilled water and stir to dissolve. Add
about 7 mL of “preservative solution” (procedure below).
FeCl3 6H2O is available from Flinn Scientific.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
35
Appendix
Demonstrator’s Guide
40 mL “B” solution
Potassium ferrocyanide solution – Dissolve 15.8 grams of
K4Fe(CN)6 H2O in 100 mL distilled water and stir to dissolve.
Add about 7 mL of “preservative solution” (procedure below).
K4Fe(CN)6 H2O is available from Flinn Scientific.
“preservative solution”
Stir 10 grams of sugar in 10 mL water until dissolved. Add 25
mL glycerol and stir to dissolve. Add 1/10 th the bottle of gum
arabic solution and stir to dissolve. Add 2-3 drops of Dawn
dish detergent and thoroughly mix.
15 g “CaCO3”
Calcium carbonate – available from Flinn Scientific.
10 mL NaOH
0.1 M Sodium hydroxide solution
7 “authentic” test pieces
Created on fabric canvas using blue acrylic craft paint and
other colors as desired.
7 “replica” test pieces
Created on fabric canvas using Prussian blue paint (created as
indicated in this experiment) and other colors as desired.
Experiment 3 – Paper
QUANTITY NEEDED
1 “authentic” sketch
DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS
Copied, printed, or drawn on paper that does not contain
optical whiteners (does not fluoresce in UV light).
1 “replica” sketch
Copied, printed, or drawn on paper that does not contain
optical whiteners (fluoresces in UV light).
31 “authentic” paper pieces Approximately 2x3” pieces cut from “authentic” paper
(does not fluoresce).
31 “replica” paper pieces
Approximately 2x3” pieces cut from “replica” paper
(fluoresces).
7 “authentic” ink samples
Created using 1x4” pieces of chromatography paper (or filter
paper) and pre-marked with a small dot (about _” from one
end) using a black water-based marker or pen.
7 “replica” ink samples
Created using 1x4” pieces of chromatography paper (or filter
paper) and pre-marked with a small dot (about _” from one
end) using a black permanent (ie. “Sharpie”) marker.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
36
Appendix
Demonstrator’s Guide
Experiment 4 – Frames
QUANTITY NEEDED
7 poly (plastic) samples
DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS
Approximate 1x3” pieces cut from thin, UV-coated
polycarbonate plastic
7 glass samples
Glass microscope slides
Experiment 5 – Frames
QUANTITY NEEDED
27 silk samples
DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS
Approximate 2x2” pieces cut from silk fabric. Silk is available
from fabric stores and can be purchased on-line from
www.dharmatrading.com. Other natural fabrics, such as
cotton, could be substituted.
9 polyester samples
Approximate 2x2” pieces cut from polyester fabric. Polyester
is available from fabric stores. Other synthetic fabrics, such as
nylon, could be substituted
3 1” multifiber ribbons
Available from Educational Innovations:
http://www.teachersource.com/.
Experiment 6 – Ceramic
QUANTITY NEEDED
7 ceramic pieces (“A”)
DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS
Thin pieces of fired, unglazed ceramic.
7 plaster pieces (“B”)
Thin pieces of plaster of Paris.
10 mL 5% HCl solution
5% by volume concentrated hydrochloric acid in distilled water
Experiment 7 – Take-Home
QUANTITY NEEDED
DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS
1 bag of homemade clay
Recipe (enough for 5 kits, or generous quantities for 1 kit) –
Combine 4 cups flour, 2 cups salt, and _ cup cream of tartar
and stir. In separate bowl, combine 4 cups boiling water, 4
tablespoons vegetable oil and approximately 20-25 drops of
food coloring. Add the liquids to the solids and stir. When
mixture becomes too thick to stir, carefully knead (mixture will
be hot for quite a while) until smooth and store in a zipperclose bag of other airtight container.
National Chemistry Week 2001 - Cleveland Section
37