One Dye to Teach Them All? Donor–Acceptor Stenhouse Adducts as Model Compounds in High School Chemistry

Colors and dyes are effective tools for sparking interest in chemistry. In school these emotions should lead to learning. For this reason, it is helpful to use colorful phenomena to explain a variety of chemical theories. However, synthesizing dyes is often not feasible in a school setting due to safety concerns, time constraints, and costs. In this study, we present a simple, inexpensive, and safer synthesis method for a stimulus-responsive class of dyes. We also propose a way to cover an entire professional laboratory process within a 3 h school course, including synthesis, isolation and characterization methods.