AP Chemistry Students Devise Experimental Protocols

Budding chemists used their “scientific critical-thinking skills to create their own experimental protocols and goals,” explains AP Chemistry teacher Dr. Adam Cornish. For their experiment, Tyler M. ’16, Samantha S. ’16 and Daniel G. ’16 isolated a chemical from red cabbage called anthocyanin, which changes color drastically based on the pH measurement of the solution it is in (i.e. how acidic or basic the substance is). “The students designed the experiment themselves and then selected five different solutions to test. The results were quite colorful, as the students picked solutions that spanned the entire pH range from 1 to 14,” explains Dr. Cornish.