Fluorescent Fashionista
Tom Kuntzleman | Sat, 10/19/2013 - 09:21
Halloween is a great time of year to do experiments with fluorescence. Check out the video in which we experiment with some fluorescent yarn.
Demonstrations
Soap Boat 2.0
Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 10/02/2013 - 14:21
Have you ever seen the soap boat experiment? Check out the video.
Holding Fire in the Palm of Your Hand
Tom Kuntzleman | Sat, 07/27/2013 - 08:51
Some students of mine and I have published two papers in the Journal of Chemical Education that describe how stunt people use chemistry to safely set themselves ablaze while filming action movie scenes. The secret behind this stunt lies in the use of superabsorbent polymer (SAP) gels. To pull off this trick...
Hydrophobic vs. Hydrophilic, Polar vs. Non-polar
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 05/13/2013 - 20:47
Wow! A very neat experiment, called “Hydroglyphics”, published by Kim, Alvarenga, Aizenberg, and Sleeper in the Journal of Chemical Education allows you to transform a common plastic Petri dish into a unique teaching tool to demonstrate the difference between hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. Check it out in the video.
Chemistry and Crayola
Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 03/13/2013 - 12:54
Have you seen the new Crayola Crystal Effects Window Markers? You can draw on windows with these markers. Better yet, you can use these markers to teach students some chemistry! After drawing on a window with these markers and waiting a little while, the marker ink appears to crystalize! Check out the video.
Sparking Marshmallows
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 02/26/2013 - 15:31
Have you ever cooked a marshmallow in a microwave? In case you are not familiar with this experiment, when a marshmallow is heated in a microwave, gases trapped in the marshmallow expand and escape. When the gas molecules escape from the marshmallow, they push against the marshmallow, causing it to expand. Check out the video.