Chemistry students explored the reactions behind cyanotypes, an early photographic printing process that uses light-sensitive materials and sunlight to create blue-and-white images.

Students arranged objects or transparencies on Sunprint paper, exposed their designs to UV light outdoors, then rinsed the paper in water to reveal the finished prints. Along the way, they recorded observations and studied the two chemical reactions involved in the process, including the formation of Prussian blue, the deep blue pigment that gives cyanotypes their distinctive color. The lab gave students a hands-on way to see how light can trigger a chemical change and produce a visible result.