Broccoli, like all plants, has chlorophyll, making it green. You can really “see” the chlorophyll when you boil broccoli. This is such a simple experiment that you can do this as you prepare dinner tonight with your kids. Make sure you have an extra head of broccoli for this experiment, unless you really like to eat overcooked broccoli.
[am4show have=’p8;p9;p11;p38;p92;p27;p54;p69;’ guest_error=’Guest error message’ user_error=’User error message’ ]
First, boil a pot of water. Add some cut up broccoli, and immediately observe the color. Allow the broccoli to cook for 15 minutes, and observe the color again.
What’s happening? When you first put the broccoli in the boiling water, the hot water allowed air bubbles to escape. This allowed you to clearly view chlorophyll, the chemical that makes broccoli green, so the broccoli should have appeared very bright. After 15 minutes of cooking, chlorophyll undergoes a chemical change. More acid has entered the broccoli, and it is a duller color.
[/am4show]