Wash Your Blues Away - With Chemistry!
Tom Kuntzleman | Thu, 09/03/2015 - 18:31
How does the blue to white color change occur in the foam of Scrubbing Bubbles or KABOOM Brand cleaners? Watch this video and find out.
Consumer Chemistry
Man I Love Chemistry and Those Teachable Moments.
Doug Ragan | Thu, 07/09/2015 - 22:51
If you are like me and pretty much what seems like ALL of my high schools students, then you probably have a mobile device near you and you are also aware of the effect water has on turning that most precious piece of “I can’t live without it” into a paperweight.
A Chemist Celebrates the International Year of Light
Tom Kuntzleman | Thu, 01/08/2015 - 13:43
Happy New Year! Did you know that 2015 is the International Year of Light (IYL)? IYL is a “global initiative adopted by the United Nations to raise awareness of how optical technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to worldwide challenges in energy, education, agriculture, communications and health1”. IYL is sponsored by several organizations with interests in science and science education, including the European Physical Society, the Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society, and the American Institute of Physics. You can find several lesson plans, videos and other educational resources on the IYL website2.
Chemistry At the Mall
Deanna Cullen | Mon, 10/13/2014 - 17:24
My local chapter of the American Chemical Society sponsors an annual event at a local mall called “Chemistry at the Mall”. The event is in celebration of National Chemistry Week. This year’s theme is “The Sweet Side of Chemistry – Candy”. I advise an ACS ChemClub and we hosted a table at “Chemistry at the Mall”. Ten student members worked shifts from 11am – 4pm. This was a great way to get involved with my local chapter and meet some other members. My students had a great time providing outreach and introducing young children to chemistry.
Back to School... with Candy
Erica Jacobsen | Sat, 07/12/2014 - 11:40
Making plans for back to school? Don’t forget the candy! It doesn’t sound like something a nutritionist would recommend, but what about a chemistry educator?
Solution to the M&M Mystery?
Tom Kuntzleman | Sat, 05/31/2014 - 15:16
Further investigations of the M&M Mystery Tom Kuntzleman wrote about previously.
Solution to Chemical Riddle #1
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 04/29/2014 - 09:15
In the video below, you can find the solution to the chemical riddle involving the food dye and bleach experiment. You can also find a description of how to set up and carry out the experiment. Finally, an extension to the activity is presented. Thanks to Erica Jacobsen, James Hanson, and Alfredo Ti
Trusty or Rusty? Oxidation Rate of Nails
In this Activity, students investigate the process of rusting by studying the oxidation of steel nails in a gel using supermarket chemicals. An indicator makes the presence of Fe3+ produced by the oxidation visible. Factors that accelerate or retard the rate of iron oxidation are studied.
Turning on the Light
In this Activity, students investigate the luminescent properties of common items such as glow-in-the-dark stickers, wintergreen-flavored hard candies, and a chlorophyll solution made from spinach leaves. After making observations, they use a flowchart to categorize the luminescent items as fluorescent, phosphorescent, or triboluminescent.
Where There's Fire There's...
In this Activity, students compare the combustion of different substances such as a glowing wooden toothpick and lit birthday candle in air, oxygen, exhaled breath, and carbon dioxide environments. The oxygen and carbon dioxide are generated from supermarket chemicals. This Activity can be used to explore the chemistry of oxygen and combustion.