Integrating art into chemistry class: Exploring pH reactions through creative expression

‘Colours of Chemical Reactions’ is a classroom experiment to integrate artistic exploration into eighth-grade chemistry class. This project is part of Xiaowei Zhang’s doctoral research, in which she uses an art-based action research methodology to transform the chemistry classroom into an interdisciplinary space that combines scientific enquiry and artistic expression. In the ‘Colours of Chemical Reactions’ project, pupils make artwork through the pH reactions of natural dyes, thus enabling them to visualize chemical reactions and reflect on sustainability. This visual essay explores how artistic exploration can serve as a gateway to learning chemistry, allowing pupils to visualize and interact with chemical processes through creative expression, thereby building bridges between artistic creativity, ecological awareness and scientific perception.