Storm troopers ain't got nothing on this chemist
Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 08/05/2015 - 08:24
Build a propane gun for your students! Construction is inexpensive, easy, and the effects are spectacular.
General Chemistry
The Martian: Popular Fiction Plus Chemistry
Erica Jacobsen | Fri, 05/01/2015 - 12:28
“What are you reading?” This twist on the traditional icebreaker question kicked off a meeting session last summer. I was eager for the conversation to make its way around the table to me. On my plane ride the day before, I’d started The Martian by Andy Weir, and I was hooked.
Chemical Mystery #4: The Case of the Misbehaving Balloon
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 02/03/2015 - 11:19
Conducting experiments with liquid nitrogen experiments is a sure-fire way to energize many chemistry lessons. Check out the Misbehaving Balloon demo!
Liquid Nitrogen, Gas Laws and Rocket Science
Tom Kuntzleman | Fri, 01/09/2015 - 13:58
The “bucket launch” is a fantastic experiment you can do if you have access to liquid nitrogen. Depending upon conditions, we have observed the bucket to launch anywhere from 80 to 160 feet high. See the video.
Mole Conversions: 1- & 2-step with format
David Licata | Wed, 11/05/2014 - 19:52
This worksheet asks students to do basic conversions of mass or molecules to moles and vice versa.
Finding and Writing the Molar Mass of Elements
David Licata | Tue, 11/04/2014 - 20:09
This worksheet is intended to be used as a "Guided Instructional Activity" (GIA). It asks students to find the molar mass of selected elements and write the molar mass as two equivalent fractions ("conversion factors") and as an equality. It is designed to help develop good habits in representing molar mass and other conversion factors, and to emphasize the idea that a conversion factor has a numerator and denominator that "name" identical quantities using different measures.
AACT at BCCE
Emily Bones | Mon, 07/21/2014 - 16:53
Physics teachers have AAPT, biology teachers have NABT, and starting this fall, chemistry teachers will have AACT. We are happy to announce that the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) will be accepting charter members starting on Aug. 4 at BCCE in Grand Rapids, Mich. But if you aren’t attending BCCE, you can join AACT by visiting teachchemistry.org on Aug. 4, and you’ll still have the status of charter member.
Rubber Bands, Free Energy, and Le Chatelier's Principle
In this Activity, students compare the temperature change of a rubber band that is quickly stretched compared to one that is quickly relaxed. They predict what effect the stress of heating will have on a stretched rubber strip and test their prediction.
Tick Tock, a Vitamin C Clock
In this Activity, students make a chemical clock using chemicals found in the supermarket: vitamin C tablets, tincture of iodine (2%), hydrogen peroxide (3%), and liquid laundry starch. They investigate what happens to the speed of the clock when the reactant solutions are made more or less dilute.
Lego Stoichiometry
In this Activity, students use building-block car kits to explore stoichiometry in a concrete manner. They determine the relationship between the number and mass of each required car component (the pieces in the kit) and the mass of the final product (the completed car). This Activity works well as either an introduction or review of stoichiometry.