Tom Kuntzleman's blog

The solution to Chemical Mystery #17 is presented. Were you able to use your chemical knowledge to explain the results?

If you know your chemistry, you can figure out how the bubbles get busted!

Solutions of copper (II) dissolved in acetone are easy to prepare, and can display orange, yellow, green, and blue color depending upon conditions. Such solutions allow for a variety of demonstrations and experiments that illustrate principles of chemical equilibrium. 

You may have observed a red to blue color change when you rinse your bowl after eating frozen blueberries. Sounds like an acid-base reaction, doesn’t it? Well, read on to learn about the blueberry surprise!

What do scientists have to say about the connection between climate change and the bush fires in Australia?

Chemistry and lasers can be used to create a demonstration that includes several colors and flashing lights. This demonstration connects to topics in quantum chemistry and phase changes.

This experiment in chemical kinetics can be conducted using materials as simple as a smartphone, hydrogen peroxide, sodium carbonate solution, and blue food dye! The experiment is useful when discussing the order of rate laws with respect to reactants.

The Devil's Milkshake is a simple, yet interesting chemistry experiment that fits well as a Halloween demo.