Hooked on Science Dracula's soap

Looking for a way to add a little science to your Halloween? If so, using a few materials from around the house, you can create Dracula's soap.

Materials

* Rubbing alcohol

* Ex-Lax

* Bar of soap

Instructions

STEP 1: Mash two Ex-Lax pills in a small bowl.

STEP 2: Pour 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol into the small bowl and mix.

STEP 3: Rub the mixture of Ex-Lax and rubbing alcohol on your hands and allow the mixture to dry.

STEP 4: Use soap and water to wash off the mixture of Ex-Lax and rubbing alcohol.

Explanation

When you washed your hands with soap, which contains a strong alkali, a bright red appeared. Ex-Lax contains an ingredient called phenolphthalein, which turns a bright red when mixed with an alkali.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website www.hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments.