======Chemical Chameleon======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Rainbow Redox Reaction
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Prepare Solution A: dissolve a small amount of potassium permanganate (about 2 mg) in 500 mL of distilled water to make a deep purple solution.  
  - Prepare Solution B: dissolve 6 g of sugar (sucrose) and 10 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in 750 mL of distilled water to make a clear solution.  
  - Pour Solution A into Solution B and swirl gently.  
  - Observe the color sequence: purple → blue → green → orange-yellow → clear, as manganese compounds form and precipitate.



====Links==== 
Chemical Chameleon Experiment - Rychlá Chemie: 
{{youtube>M8b2rz3ymbU?}}\\

Chemical Chameleon Demonstration (with NaOH, KMnO4, and Sucrose) - 2 AM Productions: 
{{youtube>IqlVatZs1zU?}}\\

📄 How to Do the Color Change Chameleon Chemistry Demonstration - ThoughtCo: [[https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-do-color-change-chameleon-4057571]]\\


====Variations====
  * Try adjusting the concentration of permanganate to slow down or speed up the reaction.  
  * Replace sucrose with other reducing sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose) and compare the timing of color changes.  
  * Perform the demonstration in a transparent column for a more dramatic visual effect.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Wear goggles, gloves, and a lab coat.  
  * Sodium hydroxide is caustic and can burn skin and eyes.  
  * Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizer and stains skin and surfaces; it is toxic to aquatic life.  
  * Dispose of solutions according to local hazardous waste regulations.  
  * Clearly label all solutions and keep them away from children and pets.




====Questions to Consider====
  * What is being oxidized and what is being reduced in this reaction? (Sugar is oxidized, permanganate is reduced.)  
  * Why does the solution appear blue at first instead of green? (Both purple MnO₄⁻ and green MnO₄²⁻ are present, producing a blue mixture.)  
  * What solid forms later in the reaction? (Brown MnO₂ precipitate.)  
  * How does this experiment illustrate multiple oxidation states of a transition metal? (Manganese passes through +7, +6, and +4 states during the reaction.)