Sarah Rose

EDU 214-1005
July 18, 2020

Invisible Ink
??? It’s A Mystery ???
Invisible ink messages have been discovered by fictional
detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Benoit Blanc, and
Nancy Drew. However, are these notes simply
Hollywood trickery and inventive authors’ imaginations,
or is there a way to actually write a hidden message?

Could lemon juice be used

as invisible ink?
Here’s My
Hypothesis…
Because lemon juice dries
clear and is acidic, I
predict that it will
produce a hidden
message if written on
thin white paper and is
allowed to dry completely
before being applied to
heat.
Materials Needed for
the Experiment

• 1 lemon, knife, & a small bowl or cup

• 1 heat source
• Q-tips
• 5 different types of paper

*We used the following types of paper:

Computer Copy Paper, Lined Notebook Paper, Glossy
Cardstock, Watercolor Paper, & Blue Light-Weight
Construction Paper
Let’s Try It Out
To begin, for this experiment, pick a simple phrase that
will fit on all your papers.

1. Cut the lemon & squeeze juice into a small bowl or cup. 5. Light a votive candle or turn on a stove top burner to
2. Dip a Q-tip into the juice & use it as your writing tool low heat (still producing a small flame)
& write your phrase on the paper. 6. Hold paper over the heat source closely, moving slowly
3. Repeat step #2 for all the different papers to see if the letters change color (be careful not to
4. Wait 20-30 minutes to let juice dry completely burn a hole in the paper or catch it on fire!)
So Is Lemon Juice Really Magic?

With a Little Heat, YES it is!

 In Conclusion…

As predicted, the heat mixed with the acidic lemon

juice did produce the message so that it was
readable. What was unexpected though, was that it
worked on the Blue colored construction paper as well
as the thick gloss coated cardstock and specialty
watercolor paper. No matter if the ink was visible on
the papers when wet or when dry, once the heat was
applied, all five types produced the message. I do
recommend using the stove instead of the candle
because my 9-year-old stepdaughter and I burnt a
hole pretty fast during our first paper attempt with
the candle. Also, maybe try a heat source that
doesn’t have a flame at all like a hair dryer if you try
this experiment at home.