By Gregory Ng (27S05A), Harish Arun Prasad (27S05B) and Ong Tsz Xiang (27S06M)

All photographs provided by Clara Grace Lim Zhi Yun (26S03A), Lin Sihan (26A01B), and Poh Le Yang (26S03F) from Raffles Art and Photographic Society unless otherwise specified.

Despite copious provocations in the form of being called a “vile chemist”, I (Tsz Xiang) have never ceased my niche fascination with learning about the countless facets of Chemistry. 

Many others, though, do not share this passion. Gregory, for one, takes the hybrid stream partially to avoid the subject. Granted, the learning curve of Chemistry can be quite steep, given the transition from drawing displayed formulae in secondary school to trudging through high-cortisol 15-mark organic structural elucidation questions in JC. 

Yet, the passion of Chemistry does not have to be exclusive to this small group of geeks! The Alchemy Club returns with its second Chemistry Week, featuring more energetic and colourful demonstrations to invite both STEM and Arts students to embrace the appeal of Chemistry. 

We Couldn’t Save Alvin

On Day 1, we discovered that Alvin, a popular Alchemist, had been “kidnapped” by a strange villain. In response, the team allied with two others in a valiant effort to escape our Chemistry-themed prison.

The hosts, Joshua Lee (27S06B) and Lee Sio Huang (27S03N), were extremely patient, giving us numerous nudges. The escape room was clearly designed around accessibility, as only basic knowledge on Chemistry was required.    

Hence, the most daunting part was not the Chemistry content, but the Russian Dolls of locked boxes and dreadful ciphers we had to solve (though we are still traumatised by the diabolical hydrogen-counting organic chemistry question.) 

Eventually, after exceeding the allocated time by 15 minutes, we managed to free Alvin—albeit only after being ushered out by the security guard.

On the second day, the Alchemists transformed the canteen walkway into a hub of various learning booths showcasing Chemistry in familiar, everyday contexts.

One such booth was manned by Preston Ang (26S06B), who explored the Chemistry of tea. With his trusty tea set, we sampled a cornucopia of brews, while learning how processes such as oxidation are controlled during roasting to enhance the flavour of different teas. 

Another booth was a “magnetic fishing” station manned by Qin Zixi (27S02B), where having been given a prompt, we would have to retrieve the correct answer card from a trough of water.

Despite the cards’ stubborn tendencies to clump together, we loved the game’s novelty and low-pressure environment, as it required little chemistry knowledge for a very satisfying win! 

Notably, many booth facilitators, including Preston and Zixi, were external volunteers, who took the time to share their passion for Chemistry with the school. 

Another captivating booth was the slime booth, where we were given the opportunity to make slime using simple ingredients such as white glue, baking soda, and a few drops of contact lens solution. For Yang Moshi (27S06M), running this booth was one of his most positive experiences throughout Chemistry Week.

Toiling in the Lab

Entering the usually closed-off Research Lab was an experience in its own right, as we found ourselves smartly clad in lab coats, goggles, and PPE gloves. To our surprise, most participants were Arts students, receiving their first laboratory briefing right there and then—surely a testament to Chemistry Week’s broad appeal!

In just twenty minutes, we were taken through the Chemical Garden demonstration, where metal salts in silicate solution formed slender shoots and branching structures, creating the illusion of an alien, underwater forest.

We also witnessed the brilliant blue light produced by luminol (though the camera does not do it justice) and the dramatic transformation of sugar into a black, serpent-like structure. 

Featured demonstrations: Luminol, Chemical Garden, and Sugar Transformation (scroll right) →

A personal favourite of ours was the multi-coloured fire tornado. The crowd gathered around the fume hood to admire the flickering hints of blue, red, and green with such passion that we had to crouch to take good photos. 

Still, the Chemistry in Chemistry Week was very much present, as students occasionally broke their steely gaze to listen to the explanations provided by the Alchemists. 

That said, what many could not see was the staggering amount of effort put into lab work. The fire tornado, as impressive as it appeared to us, was not quite the spectacle the Alchemists had envisioned.

In fact, such unpredictability was a running theme leading up to Chemistry Week. 

Some experiments yielded inconsistent success rates across multiple attempts, requiring an inordinate number of trials to showcase each experiment in its full glory.

Other planned highlights, including the “Screaming Jelly Babies” demonstration (which saw a test tube melt during trials) had to be cut despite weeks of development.

This article can only do so much to capture the countless revisions made by the Alchemy Club. We truly hope you appreciate their dedication and scientific rigour that went on behind the scenes! After all, 

Chemical Magic

Topping off the week with a suave top-hat, the magicians presented us with a few final spectacles. Watching their interactions was entertaining in its own right, as their tones ranged from whimsical to anticipating to frantic, drawing reactions and laughter from the audience. (You could even say they had great chemistry HAHA) 

Of course, the demonstrations were no less captivating, complemented by explanations beyond the H2 syllabus and well-animated slides, plus a cameo of Organic Chemistry by Jonathan Clayden. 

One of our favourites was the Chemical Chameleon. Many of us have had “acidified purple KMnO₄ solution turns colourless” drilled into our heads, yes? 

Yet, as one audience member was invited to mix alkaline KMnO₄ and glucose, we watched the solution turn green, then blue, then a very striking shade of orange, a visual display of the gradual reduction of MnO4^–.

We must also highlight the bombastic finale—the Elephant Toothpaste demonstration, where thick foam erupted from the flask with a ferocity that took us by surprise!

The Human Element

Chemistry Week has certainly grown much bigger this year, and it would not have happened without the Alchemists’ and volunteers’ individual sacrifices and tenacity.

Chemistry Week 2026 built on last year’s success and sought to exceed it in scale and ambition. An operation of such magnitude inevitably involved many moving parts. With the on the ground situation so fluid, the Alchemy EXCO, both outgoing and incoming, had to make many decisions on-the-spot knowing full well each could make or break the event.

Preparing the escape rooms was a Herculean task (much like how solving certain puzzles was), as incoming Chairperson Wang Runjia (27S06Q) shared. With many items needed at short notice, he had to stretch his physical limits and make multiple trips to the lab (which acted as the CCA’s storeroom) to ensure that all items arrived on schedule.

For many, however, the challenges extended far beyond mere logistics.

The EXCO gamely accepted the various challenges Chemistry Week posed for them that pushed them outside their comfort zone. For example, Y6 Session IC Teo Joon Yi (26S07B), who Nathan described as famously introverted, took up the mantle of Alvin’s lab assistant to perform in front of a canteen full of people with humour. Her engaging and passionate display betrayed none of her supposed shyness. 

Frequently unseen, too, was the mutual support the Alchemists provided one another, especially given the limited manpower when some volunteers were involved in Match Support at short notice. Chiam (27S06H), the incoming Vice-Chairperson, once remained at the booths for another hour to stand in for others, despite feeling unwell.

As writers, we had the privilege of hearing only a handful of these stories. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this event.

What’s in Store for the Future?

This year’s Chemistry Week marked its second edition since its comeback last October. Compared to last year’s programmes, there were many additions, including three flagship events—the escape room, lab tour, and magic show. Alchemy Club is working hard to branch out its activities and expand on those that were especially popular.

“Hopefully in the years to come, natural selection will allow Chemistry Week to evolve into a form where it really can have a meaningful impact on the society and community,” Runjia remarked (yet another callback to the experimental nature of Chemistry!) 

As a Physics RA student himself, he has observed that many of his classmates express apathy towards Chemistry, despite both fields being deeply intertwined. 

So, what is Chemistry Week ultimately about?

On that note, Chemistry Week will strive to reach out to more and more people. New demonstrations, new ways to experiment, and who knows—maybe even a Chemistry Fortnight!