The chemistry of color-changing tea

10-01-2020


Today’s Video of the Day from the American Chemical Society describes the science behind color-changing butterfly pea flower tea.

Blue petals from the flowers of the butterfly-pea plant have been used in herbal beverages in Southeast Asia for centuries.

The blue flower tea contains chemically-reactive molecules that can change their structure depending on the acidity of the solution you put them in. When they change structure, they change color. 

Video Credit: American Chemical Society 

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

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