December Science Experiment submitted by Amy Oliver

Have you ever seen a picture in the newspaper that has inspired you? Here’s a way to use a little chemistry to explore the image.

1. Carefully cut out a small color picture (5cm by 5cm or so) from the comics or newspaper.
2. Dip a cotton swab in white vinegar. Lightly moisten the copy by wiping with the vinegar-soaked swab. Make sure to cover every part of the picture with vinegar.
3. Place the picture between two paper towels. Press hard for 5 to 10 seconds to dry off the excess vinegar.
4. Place the picture with the side to be copied face down on a piece of white paper.
5. Place another piece of white paper on top and rub hard with the bottom of a spoon. Make sure to rub over the entire picture.
6. Remove both the upper paper and the newspaper. There should be a transfer of the picture on the bottom white paper. If the transfer is too faint, try again with a different picture but use the edge of the spoon instead of the bottom.

Can you repeat these steps to create a collage? What happens if you transfer words instead of a picture? What happens to your white paper if you rub baby oil on it?

What’s going on: if you were to use plain water the picture would not transfer because the inks in newspaper do not dissolve in water—a good thing. However, the ink does dissolve in a solution of weak acid (vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid in water).

Post what you did with the experiment: Which variables did you change? (Did you use baby oil or another liquid?) What happened? Why do you think that happened?