A Chemist Celebrates the International Year of Light
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.
A Simple, yet Dramatic Chemistry Experiment with Ping Pong Balls
Cellulose nitrate (also known as nitrocellulose or guncotton) is a very flammable substance that is formed by reacting cellulose (also known as dietary fiber) with a mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids:
Chemistry At the Mall
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.
Solution to Chemical Mystery #3: The Sour Side of Chemistry!
Congratulations to Grazyna Zreda who solved the Chemical Mystery of the Mentos candies! To conduct this trick, two white Mentos candies are placed in separate beakers that both contain universal indicator.
The Sweet Side of Chemistry: Chemical Mystery #3
National Chemistry week 2014 will be upon us in a little over a month.
ACS Chemical Safety Committee Statement regarding "Tornado Experiment"
Statement from the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety regarding the “Tornado Experiment” Explosion in a Science Museum in Reno, Nevada
Inexpensive Hydroglyphics and Superhydrophobicity
I previously wrote about an experiment published in the Journal of Chemical Education called “Hydroglyphics”1.
Rainbows in a Glass Density Demonstration
One day during class I presented the disappearing rainbow demonstration and explained the chemistry behind it. After doing so, I had a student ask me if a particular bartending trick called “rainbow shots” was done in a manner similar to the way the disappearing rainbow demonstration is performed.
Solution to the M&M Mystery?
Further investigations of the M&M Mystery Tom Kuntzleman wrote about previously.
Solution to Chemical Riddle #2
Check out the answer to Chemical Riddle #2.