The Chemical Chameleon

Sometimes called the chemical chameleon, this is a redox reaction between glucose and potassium permanganate in sodium hydroxide. We start with the MnO4- ion which is purple, which is then converted into the MnO42- ion which is green (the blue colour is a mixture of the two) and this this is eventually converted into MnO2 which is a brown solid which when suspended in solution gives a yellow colour.