The Chemistry of Lightning
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 09/20/2022 - 09:42
Learn a bit about the chemical reactions that occur during a lightning strike, and how you can demonstrate these reactions in your classroom.
general public
Finding Flash Rocks
Dean Campbell | Sat, 08/13/2022 - 10:20
Flash rocks were discussed in a previous post as stones made of quartz that produce light by triboluminescence when struck together. This post provides some description of their origins and tips on how to find them, making connections to some of their properties.
Using My Marbles: Connecting Surface Area and Calorimetry with Temperature Curves and Thermochromic Cups
Dean Campbell | Sat, 07/30/2022 - 15:02
The importance of surface area can be illustrated by adding spherical solids at known sizes and temperature to other substances at different temperatures and then monitoring the rates of temperature changes of the system over time. Larger spheres (with less surface area per sample) exchanged heat with water more slowly than smaller spheres, and less thermally conductive glass spheres exchanged heat with water more slowly than iron spheres. Additional, more colorful demonstrations are described in which small glass spheres cool thermochromic plastic cups more quickly than larger glass spheres.
Flash Rocks from Green Chemistry and LEGO Brick Perspectives
Dean Campbell | Fri, 07/15/2022 - 23:56
Flash rocks, typically pieces of quartz that produce light when struck together, are an example of the complex phenomenon of triboluminescence. The green chemistry aspects for the flash rock demonstration are considered, and LEGO models illustrating quartz crystals, piezoelectric materials, and nonpiezoelectric materials are presented.
Chemical Mystery #20: Magic Kool-Aid
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 07/11/2022 - 10:05
You can solve Chemical Mystery #20 if you know your chemistry...and your magic!
Effect of Temperature on the Whoosh Bottle
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 07/05/2022 - 13:45
Why does the "Whoosh Bottle" experiment behave differently at different temperatures?
Can Alkaline Water Change Body pH?
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 05/09/2022 - 08:13
Can Alkaline Water Change the pH of your body? We use chemistry to put this claim to the test!
Paper Snowflakes to Model Flat Symmetrical Molecules
Dean Campbell | Wed, 04/06/2022 - 13:39
Flat, symmetrical molecules can be modeled by folding a sheet of paper, cutting patterns into the folded structure, and unfolding to produce the flat paper models. The finished models resemble paper snowflakes, but have a variety of rotational symmetries. Template patterns for several molecules are available for download in the Supporting Information.
My Heart Beats for Chemistry
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 02/22/2022 - 18:21
Tom Kuntzleman conducts a safer "mercury-like" beating heart experiment with an added splash of gratefulness.
Expanding on Self-Inflating Balloons: Activities Involving Moles, Gas Laws, and Thermochemistry
Dean Campbell | Thu, 02/10/2022 - 08:42
Balloons that inflate using carbon dioxide produced from the reaction of citric acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate can be used to demonstrate a number of aspects of chemistry. Gas laws were used with the balloons to illustrate limiting reactants, molar mass of gases, and rockets. The endothermic reaction in the balloon was visualized with an infrared camera, and the Green Chemistry aspects of these balloons were considered.