The invisible ink is very useful for drawing treasure maps or writing secret messages. Only those who know chemistry will find a way to reveal your message. Let’s use the onion juice to prepare the invisible ink.
You will need:
- An onion
- A knife
- Garlic press
- A small bowl
- Toothpick
- Sheets of paper
From 6 years
Difficulty : medium
This experience requires the help of an adult
Let's experiment
Peel your onion and cut a quarter of it into very small pieces.
With the garlic press, mash the onion pieces and collect the juice drops in a bowl.
With a toothpick, draw or write the messages you like using onion juice like ink.
When finished, let your sheet of paper dry for 5 to 10 minutes.
With the help of an adult, turn on an electric hot plate and allow it to heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Then ask an adult to position the sheet on the heater plate and observe what is happening.
Et voilà 😊 Nous, nous avons fait une carte au trésor.
Understand the experiment
It smells like onion!
Onion juice is an organic compound. Under the action of heat, these juices oxidize and decompose. This results in a color change. Invisible, the ink turns brown or black. It’s up to you to play spies !!
Did you know?
The first secret messages in invisible ink date from Ancient Greece (-500 BC)
Invisible ink was used in spies as early as the First World War or in magic tricks. But the very first to use it, are the ancient Greeks and Romans who used the milk of a plant, the tithymalus.
Challenge
Alternatively, you can test the juice of certain fruits. Like lemon for example.
