Pre-demonstration Preparation:

See Pink Panther 1 for descriptions of preparation of the shake bottle, pink flowers and Windex spray bottle.

In costume, the Pink Panther gets into the Dancing in the Dark bench just before it is moved on stage and remains there until the Pink Panther Theme music starts at the conclusion of the Dancing in the Dark demonstration.

The Demonstration:

As the music begins the Pink Panther makes a surprising appearance from behind the Dancing in the Dark demonstration bench. He discovers the glowing energy ball on the tesla coil, touches it, and reacts. He then unplugs the tesla coil and proceeds to the stage right table where he pours about 100 mL of Windex into the watering can. After mixing, he waters the flower and shows the audience that they now turn pink. He slinks to the stage left table and retrieves the bottle and shakes it on cue from the music to again form the pink color. With pleasure he tips his hat and exits.

Safety Precautions:

The shake bottles are caustic (approximately 0.5 M KOH). Safety glasses must be worn by the demonstrator. The demonstrator must put the palm of their hand over the rubber stopper before shaking.

Disposal:

The solutions are treated as acid/base waste. Once neutralized, they are flushed down the drain.

Reference:

Shakhashiri, Chemical Demonstrations, Vol. 2, pp. 142-146, Univ. of Wisconsin Press (1985).