Chemistry + Environmental Science
Make bioplastic from milk or starch
Make casein and starch plastics at home and test their strength and how they break down.
- Easy
- 1–2 weeks
- Under 250
22 Chemistry projects
Chemistry · Electrochemistry
Build a lemon battery and compare fruits
Make cells from fruit, zinc and copper, measure their voltage and light an LED with several in series.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Chemistry · Analytical Chemistry
Make a red cabbage pH indicator and test household liquids
Extract a natural indicator from red cabbage and rank household liquids from acid to base.
- Beginner
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Chemistry · Inorganic Chemistry
Investigate what speeds up rusting
Leave iron nails in different conditions for a week and find what makes rust form fastest.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Under 250
Chemistry + Nutrition and Food
Measure the vitamin C in fruit juices
Titrate juices with iodine and starch to compare how much vitamin C each contains.
- Intermediate
- 1 day
- Under 250
Chemistry · Physical Chemistry
Grow crystals and test what changes their size
Grow alum or sugar crystals and find how cooling speed changes crystal size.
- Easy
- 1–2 weeks
- Under 250
Chemistry · Physical Chemistry
Find how temperature changes reaction rate with antacid tablets
Time how long an effervescent tablet takes to dissolve at different water temperatures.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Chemistry · Analytical Chemistry
Separate ink colours with paper chromatography
Separate the dyes in marker pens on filter paper and calculate an Rf value for each colour.
- Beginner
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Chemistry · Electrochemistry
Make an electroplating cell and copper-plate a key
Coat a steel key with copper and find how plating time changes the mass gained.
- Intermediate
- 1 day
- 250–500
Chemistry · Thermochemistry
Measure the heat released when salts dissolve
Dissolve different salts in water and classify each as heating or cooling the water.
- Intermediate
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Chemistry · Physical Chemistry
Investigate which liquids conduct electricity
Build a simple conductivity tester and sort solutions into electrolytes and non-electrolytes.
- Beginner
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Chemistry · Analytical Chemistry
Estimate the calcium carbonate in eggshells
React eggshell with vinegar, measure the mass of carbon dioxide lost and calculate its purity.
- Intermediate
- 1 day
- Under 250
Chemistry · Medicinal Chemistry
Compare how well antacids neutralise acid
Find which antacid tablet neutralises the most acid per tablet and per rupee.
- Intermediate
- 1 day
- Under 250
Chemistry + Environmental Science
Test the hardness of water from different sources
Compare tap, well, bottled and rain water by how much soap each needs to form lather.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Chemistry + Environmental Science
Model the effect of acid rain on building stone
Soak chalk and marble chips in liquids of different acidity and measure the mass they lose.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Under 250
Chemistry + Crops, Soil and Horticulture
Map the pH of soil around your school
Test soil pH at ten spots round your school or home and draw a map of the results.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Under 250
Chemistry · Organic Chemistry
Synthesise and test soap from cooking oil
Make soap by cold-process saponification under supervision and test its pH and lather.
- Advanced
- 2–4 weeks
- 250–500
Chemistry · Food Chemistry
Compare the energy in different foods by burning them
Burn nuts and snacks under a can of water and estimate the energy per gram of each.
- Intermediate
- 1 day
- Under 250
Chemistry + Fashion and Craft
Find the best natural dye and mordant for cotton
Dye cotton with turmeric, beetroot, onion skin and tea, and test which survives washing.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Under 250
Chemistry + Biology
Extract DNA from fruit in your kitchen
Pull visible strands of DNA out of a banana or strawberry with soap, salt and cold alcohol.
- Beginner
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Chemistry + Environmental Science
Test how well different materials filter dirty water
Build layered filters from sand, gravel and charcoal and compare how clear the water comes out.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Chemistry · Electrochemistry
Electrolyse water and collect the gases
Split water with a 9 V battery and show that hydrogen and oxygen form in a 2:1 ratio.
- Intermediate
- 1 day
- Under 250
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