Can you solve this new Chemical Mystery? (Video 1)
Video 1: Magic Kool-Aid, Tommy Technetium YouTube Channel, July 7, 2022
When you think you have the answer, you can check out the solution (Video 2):
Video 2: Magic Kool-Aid Explanation, Tommy Technetium YouTube Channel, July 10, 2022
If you're a chemist, you probably recognized that this experiment is a slight twist on the famous disappearing rainbow demonstration.1 But you might not be familiar with the assassin's teapot, which is sometimes used as a magic trick. Below is a video that describes in detail how the assassin's teapot works:
Video 3: The Assassin's Teapot Is Weird, Steve Mould YouTube Channel, accessed July 10, 2022.
Isn't that interesting? Overall, this Chemical Mystery incorporates acid-base chemistry, surface tension, and air pressure all in one demonstration!
The fact that the assassin's teapot has two hidden chambers allows for some interesting tricks to be displayed. For teachers of chemistry, use of the assassin's teapot opens up a whole host of possibilities for tricky chemical demonstrations and chemical mysteries. How might you use the assassin's teapot to create a thought-provoking chemistry experiment that gets your students thinking? Let me know some of your ideas for experiments in the comments!
Happy Experimenting!
Reference:
1. https://www.flinnsci.com/api/library/Download/be9b7857c57c4a6fa3219fbede...
NGSS
Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 9–12 builds on K–8 experiences and progresses to explanations and designs that are supported by multiple and independent student-generated sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories.
Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 9–12 builds on K–8 experiences and progresses to explanations and designs that are supported by multiple and independent student-generated sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories. Construct and revise an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, models, theories, simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 9–12 builds on K–8 experiences and progresses to explanations and designs that are supported by multiple and independent student-generated sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories.
Constructing explanations and designing solutions in 9–12 builds on K–8 experiences and progresses to explanations and designs that are supported by multiple and independent student-generated sources of evidence consistent with scientific ideas, principles, and theories. Construct and revise an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, models, theories, simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Students who demonstrate understanding can construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
*More information about all DCI for HS-PS1 can be found at https://www.nextgenscience.org/dci-arrangement/hs-ps1-matter-and-its-interactions and further resources at https://www.nextgenscience.org.
Students who demonstrate understanding can construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
Assessment is limited to chemical reactions involving main group elements and combustion reactions.
Examples of chemical reactions could include the reaction of sodium and chlorine, of carbon and oxygen, or of carbon and hydrogen.