Soluble Science: Making Tie-Dye T-Shirts with Permanent Markers

A chemistry challenge from Science Buddies

Key concepts Chemistry Solubility Solutions Inks Dyes Introduction Have you ever made a tie-dyed T-shirt? It can be a lot of fun to dye a shirt in bright colors with spiraling designs. In this science activity you will get to dye a T-shirt with your own colorful artwork using only permanent markers. Along the way, you'll find out how solubility helps your drawings leave beautiful designs on the fabric. Background You've probably noticed that when a drop of water lands on a piece of paper with words or a picture printed on it, sometimes the ink runs. When this happens, the drop of water is at least partially absorbed into the paper and then flows through it. As the water moves, it carries the ink particles along with it. Why does the water move the ink? This is because of solubilitythe ink has combined with the water. Solubility is an important property of matter. If a chemical is soluble in water, then the chemical will dissolve, or appear to disappear, when it's added to wateror vice versa. This is why the ink can dissolve in the drop of water on the paper and then travel along with the water through the paper. If a chemical is not soluble, also known as insoluble, then it will not dissolve. Can you think of some things that are insoluble in water? If a piece of paper were printed with ink that was insoluble in water, what would happen when a drop of water fell on it? The ink should remain in place on the paper and would not be carried away by the water flowing through the paper. Materials

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Soluble Science: Making Tie-Dye T-Shirts with Permanent Markers