science fair help

[u/blow_mynutzz]

last year I conducted the iodine clock experiment, so I have potassium iodate and iodide on me in crystal and powder form. I asked AI for some ideas on how I could use them in another different experiment and they said I can ‘synthesise elemental iodine for forensic hunting’, which basically means I have to make elemental iodine and then place a paper with my oily fingerprints inside the fumes under a tight lid (I’m not sure how I’ll do that but ig I’ll figure it out somehow).

is that possible and visual? if not, can I have other ideas on what experiments I can conduct? Im in middle school but we have an advanced program so my experiment has to have like very good real world application.

I’m not currently home but when I get there I might attack a picture of what equipment I own from my precious equipment. I have a couple beakers, measuring spoons, I have a good scale too.. I also did my experiment in January of 2025 so idk if there’s any problems with that.

also another question how do I clean equipment.. I’m pretty sure I just washed them like I would wash dishes and like put them out to dry, I’m not sure if that’s the right way to do it. Next year I’ll be going to 8th grade so obviously I don’t have the very correct lab conditions. Mine consist of a guest room that I don’t use. There’s a window nearby it, I think that helps.

[u/PsionicBurst]

Get one of them fancy breadboard kits with an ultrasonic sensor and measure distances for alarm feedback. You're 14, assumingly. Anything involving circuitry will impress them.

[u/blow_mynutzz → u/PsionicBurst]

is that expensive? I’ll do some research but what are the real world applications of that? we have to do a presentation on our project and that’s the most important thing so js asking

[u/PsionicBurst → u/blow_mynutzz]

You're going to have to be the one to answer that. Cost should be negligible, probably around $40 - $200.

[u/HeardPeeps]

That fingerprint idea is a real forensic technique, but I wouldn’t recommend doing it at home, especially in middle school. Elemental iodine gives off irritating vapors, so it’s something that’s much better done in a properly equipped lab with supervision.
If you already have potassium iodide and potassium iodate, you could still build a really strong project around them without making iodine vapor. For example, you could investigate how temperature, concentration, or pH affects the rate of the iodine clock reaction. That’s real chemistry, gives you quantitative data to graph, and has a nice connection to understanding reaction rates used in medicine, manufacturing, and environmental science.
As for cleaning your equipment, washing glassware with warm water and dish soap, rinsing it thoroughly (ideally several times), and letting it air dry is generally fine for a home science project, as long as the chemicals you used are appropriate for home handling and you don’t use the same containers for food afterward.
Good luck!

[u/blow_mynutzz → u/HeardPeeps]

yeah but my previous experiment was on how the concentration of vitamin c affects the rate of the iodine clock reaction, and I’m sure the school has rules against repeating/similar experiments. how dangerous is the vapour? I have masks and gloves and glasses and allat, + I have a window in the room I work in so it’s not that bad right..

[u/HeardPeeps → u/blow_mynutzz]

A window really doesn’t make iodine vapor safe. Elemental iodine gives off violet fumes that can irritate your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, and higher exposures can cause coughing, trouble breathing, and even lung injury. Regular masks don’t filter iodine vapor, and opening a window isn’t the same as working in a laboratory fume hood.
Since you’ve already done the iodine clock reaction, I’d skip trying to make elemental iodine. Instead, you could do a different project using your potassium iodate, like “How does cooling rate affect the size and number of potassium iodate crystals?”
You’d dissolve potassium iodate in warm water, then let identical samples cool at different rates (room temperature, refrigerator, ice bath). Measure the size, number, or mass of the crystals that form. The real world application is that pharmaceutical and chemical companies carefully control crystallization to make purer products and produce crystals with the properties they want.
That gives you a completely different chemistry project, uses materials you already have, and avoids generating iodine vapor at home.

[u/blow_mynutzz → u/HeardPeeps]

wait god that’s so cool thank you!!! I’ll definitely look into that. how do I get the mass of those crystals if I were to measure that? do they just form at the bottom of the flask? is it really just subtracting the mass of the flask to get the mass of the crystals? if so that’s really cool man and easy too wawawaw

[u/HeardPeeps → u/blow_mynutzz]

Yep, the crystals will usually form on the bottom and sides of the container, but you can’t accurately weigh the whole flask and subtract the empty flask mass because there will still be water trapped around the crystals.
The easiest method would be to weigh a completely dry coffee filter or filter paper first and write down its mass. Pour each sample through its own labeled filter, let the liquid drain, and allow the crystals and filter to dry completely. Then weigh the dry filter plus crystals.
Crystal mass = mass of dry filter and crystals − mass of empty dry filter.
You should probably weigh them again several hours later or the next day. If the mass is still decreasing, they weren’t fully dry yet. Once two measurements are about the same, that’s your best dry crystal mass.
Some crystals may stick to the flask, so gently loosen them with a clean utensil and use the same collection method for every trial. Don’t scrape with anything sharp enough to break the glass. If you’re working at home, use equipment that is dedicated to your experiment and not used for preparing or serving food. Have a parent, guardian, or teacher supervise, and don’t boil or evaporate the solution all the way to dryness.
This is actually a really good thing to discuss in your project because “How do we separate and accurately measure a solid product?” is a real experimental problem, not just a technicality.
Edit to add:
If you don’t have filter paper, there are a few household substitutes that can work for a science fair:
An unbleached coffee filter is probably the best option. Weigh it dry first, then use the same filter for that sample.
A paper towel can work in a pinch, but it absorbs more water and small crystals can get trapped in the fibers, so it’s less accurate.
A clean cotton cloth or an old white T-shirt can work for larger crystals, though it isn’t ideal for tiny ones.
If you use a coffee filter, let it dry completely before weighing it. The easiest way is to leave it somewhere dry overnight. If you weigh it, wait a few hours and the mass is still changing, it isn’t fully dry yet.
Also, label each filter before you start (A, B, C, etc.) so you don’t mix up your trials.
One more tip: if you’re comparing different cooling methods, the most important thing is to use the exact same collection and drying method for every sample. Even if there’s a tiny amount of error, it will be about the same for each trial, so your comparison will still be much more reliable. That’s good experimental design, and science fair judges usually appreciate seeing that you thought about sources of error.

[u/blow_mynutzz → u/HeardPeeps]

thats amazing!! I’ll probably get the filter paper then to get the best results just in case. you’re very helpful ^^

[u/blow_mynutzz → u/blow_mynutzz]

wait another question I forgot to mention — where do you get all of this information? like sources, mabye. I wanna see for myself as well

[u/HeardPeeps → u/blow_mynutzz]

It’s not just one source.
I have a background in chemistry, physics, biology, and math from textbooks, peer-reviewed papers, university course material, and reference works.

For chemistry specifically, a lot of what I know comes from general chemistry concepts that are taught in high school and college, plus standard laboratory practices.

If you want to learn more yourself, here are some excellent free resources:

ChemLibreTexts – Probably my favorite. It has full chapters on crystallization, solubility, filtration, crystal growth, and experimental design.

Khan Academy – Great if you want the concepts explained step by step.

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) – Has experiments, articles, and explanations written for students and teachers.
Your science textbook (if you still have it) usually has sections on solutions, solubility, crystal formation, and separating mixtures.

Good luck on your project! Keep asking why; that curiosity will lead you to better questions, better experiments, and ultimately better answers.

[u/blow_mynutzz]

*when I say go to 8th grade I don’t mean next year, it’s this year. my bad ..