(WFRV) – It is the week after Easter. Grocery stores and drug stores likely have clearance deals on any Easter themed candy that is left. Many people also have candy that they are not a fan of.

What can you do with leftover candy besides throwing it directly in the trash?

Candies used in this experiment

Do it yourself experiment

Materials: Warm tap water, white plate, and hard-shelled colored candy. Other Easter themed candy such as peeps and jellybeans will work too.

Steps:
  1. Arrange the candy in a circle around the inner rim of a white plate
  2. Try to use multiple colors and group them together if you can
  3. Just fill the plate slowly with warm tap water partially covering the candy
  • Hard candy
  • Peeps, blue Reese’s Pieces, black jelly beans
  • Reese’s Pieces
What is happening?

A lot of candies are made with artificial dyes. Most of these colored dyes dissolve into water. When the candy is partially submerged in the water, the molecules that contain dye are slowly removed from the candy.

This means that the colored dye diffuses towards the center of the plate. At first, the colors do not blend, but over time the colors will mix.