Chemistry of Honey

This sweet program will delight and enlighten you with what bees actually do to make honey, how it’s harvested and other fun facts.  Entomologist May Berenbaum, PhD, of University of Illinois-Champaign, together with chemist Shelby Hatch, PhD, of Northwestern University, will explore the extraordinary chemical properties of honey and its many varieties.

• Why doesn’t honey "go bad" even if you leave it in the cabinet for months or years?
• What are the different viscosities of honey?  Does it affect taste?
• Does the amount of water in honey matter?
• What about honey’s antibiotic properties?
• What the heck is the “osmotic effect” of honey and what is Mānuka honey?

You’ll conduct experiments yourselves to explore the wonders of this golden goodness. There may be balloons and beakers and ph involved, and perhaps refractometers, but there will be definitely be tastes to tantalize your tongue.

Space is limited - click here to register. Tickets are $15 (includes museum admission) and available only online.  This program is presented in collaboration with The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Slow Food Chicago as part of their series on bees and beekeeping.