Ancient Paints Part 3: Binders

Students learn about the chemistry that exists in some of the world's oldest surviving paintings. This lesson is the final part of a 3 part painting series, and focuses on binding agents in paint. Students experiment with methods of extracting and preparing casein, a binder derived from milk, and test out other binding materials. The full lesson will take upwards of two weeks, but can be shortened and simplified if desired. The following vocabulary terms are covered:
colloid
solution
suspension
micelle
hydrophobic
hydrophilic
hydrogen bond
pigment
medium
binder