This year, we once again hosted Girls’ and Boys’ Day, which was superbly organised and supervised by our PhD student Viktoria Warth, who once again showed great dedication.
After a brief tour through the lab, during which the participating pupils were able to get a taste of the day-to-day work of our PhD students, they got straight down to some hands-on experimentation. The production of fragrant fruit esters was very popular – the banana and apple flavours in particular were a big hit.
Other experiments also invited the pupils to get involved. For instance, the influence of pH was clearly demonstrated using butterfly pea tea, which changes colour depending on its environment. In addition, nylon threads were spun, classic elephant toothpaste was made, and simple chromatographic separations were visualised using filter paper and felt-tip pens.
After lunch, the exciting experiments continued: Using Benedict’s reagent, various food samples from the kitchen were tested for their sugar content – a clear example of how chemistry plays a role in everyday life.
The pupils took part with great curiosity and enthusiasm, and we hope they were able to take away many exciting insights from the world of chemistry.
Special thanks to Viktoria for her excellent organisation and efforts!