Tom Kuntzleman's blog

Check out the solution to Chemical Mystery #12: Baffling Balloons

Can you explain what is happening in Chemical Mystery #12? 

A new event called "The Mole"was unveiled at BCCE 2018. I told the story of how one of my students discovered how to make marshmallows spark in the microwave oven.

A variety of activities performed at a science camp that relate to the chemistry of the solar system are reported. These activities could prove useful in the chemistry curriculum or in planning for National Chemistry Week in 2018, the theme of which is Chemistry is Out of This World!

Simple methods to prepare liquid air are described. In addition, ways to test the properties of liquid air and other liquefied gases are explored.   

If you want to lose weight, you have to burn calories. Anyone who has gone on a diet knows this. But when someone loses weight, have you ever wondered where the lost mass goes?

I ran a multi-day poll on Twitter that was designed to be a fun way to determine the “best” element on the periodic table. I’m sharing about the poll here on ChemEdX in case others might want to try something similar in their classrooms. The poll was run tournament-style, fashioned after NCAA Basketball’s March Madness. The event was called #MarchMatterMadness. Just like basketball’s March Madness tournament, four different “regions” were set up, and each element was seeded into brackets according to atomic number.

The solution to Chemical Mystery #11, which involves the Leidenfrost Effect, is presented.