public understanding

I recently shared some simple experiments using magnets and coins that connect to the 2019 National Chemistry Week (NCW) theme, “Marvelous Metals!”¹ Because coins are familiar items, made of metal, and so very easy to obtain, I think doing experiments with coins is a great idea for NCW 2019!

National Chemistry Week (NCW) is only a little over a month away! It will be held October 20-26, and this year’s theme is Marvelous Metals!

One of my favorite experiments to conduct is the liquid nitrogen cloud. As long as you can get some liquid nitrogen, it is incredibly easy to carry out. All you have to do is pour some hot water into liquid nitrogen and a massive cloud results. Check it out (also, be sure to check out the video posted further below):

In Chemical Mystery #16 the colors red, white, and blue are all produced from the same solution that is poured into three separate bottles. You can view this experiment and how it is carried out in Video 1.

Another school year has come and gone, and summertime is upon us! Soon we’ll all be enjoying cookouts, summer conferences (ChemEd 2019, anyone?), swimming at the beach, and fireworks on the Fourth of July.

How can water be held in a cup that has a hole in the bottom of it? Watch this video and find out the explanation for Chemical Mystery # 15, The Leaky Cup!  

Time for a new chemical mystery! Watch the video below and see if you can use your chemical knowledge to figure out how this experiment is done.

Did you know there is a simple test you can do to see if an alkaline battery is fresh or dead?^1,2 All you need to do is bounce the bottom of a battery onto a hard, flat surface. If the battery is fresh it won’t bounce very well. If the battery is dead, it will bounce very high. Check it out in the video.³