Supplies you'll need for Part 1 ("Test like an Alchemist")

• 4 plastic food storage containers, like these
• labels for the containers
• tape
• liquid detergent (just a teaspoonful)
• 1 cup of white vinegar (We suggest you get a quart since you’ll need it for future mysteries.)
• salt (just a spoonful, but you’ll need more in future mysteries)
• handout (Test like an Alchemist ) for each group of testers
• 1 penny per student (or if you have only 1 student, you need at least 4 pennies)

This makes one set of test stations, enough for up to 24 students. For larger classes, we suggest you make two sets of stations, so you’ll need to double the first 6 supplies in the list.

Supplies you'll need for Part 2 ("The King's Sword")--Optional

• more pennies so that you have at least 40 pennies altogether
• a plastic spoon
• 1 steel screw or nail and 1 steel washer (DON’T use stainless steel or galvanized steel. Just plain steel is what you need.)
• 2 pipe cleaners
• a place to leave your experiment for a few hours or overnight

What you'll need to do before class

Label your containers. Then prepare the testing liquids by mixing the following liquids and putting them in the labeled containers:

• soap and water (1 tsp of liquid detergent mixed with ½ cup of water)
• vinegar (½ cup)
• salty vinegar (2 tsp salt mixed with ½ cup vinegar)
• salt and water (1 tsp salt mixed with ½ cup water)