Hooked on Science: Laundry science

Bleach is used to whiten the laundry, but do you know how this popular laundry aid whitens? Here's an experiment that will not only show you how it works, but also might get you and your family "Hooked on Science."

Materials

* 2 transparent plastic cups

* Food coloring

* Bleach

* Water

Instructions

STEP 1: Fill one of the transparent plastic cups three quarters of the way with water.

STEP 2: Add your choice of food coloring to the water and mix.

STEP 3: Fill the other transparent plastic cup a quarter of the way with bleach.

STEP 4: Pour the colored water into the transparent plastic cup with bleach and mix.

STEP 5: Watch the cup to see what happens in the next five minutes.

Explanation

The bleach contains ingredients that break the chemical bonds of a chromophore. Basically the color was removed from the water. The same thing happens to your clothes in the washing machine.

Jason Lindsey is a Science Outreach Educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.