This timely post is a perfect fit for the theme of Chemists Celebrate Earth Week 2023! Algae is a rich topic with many possible connections to the chemistry classroom. Algae needs to take in light, carbon dioxide, and various simple nutrients and, though it can sometimes get out of control, can produce oxygen, diatomaceous earth, and other products. It can even fluoresce pink!
Michael Jansen offers one of his favorite demos - producing liquid CO2 from dry ice.
The Diet Coke and Mentos reaction is used as the basis for this hands on experiment. Students work in groups to research, test, and adapt as needed with the goal to get the highest possible geyser!
That it was the "Best Class EVER" seems to be the common refrain every year by most every one of Yvonne Clifford's students over the past 30 years after the Dry Ice Day. This is an engaging chemical to bring to the chemistry classroom or an outreach event because many concepts can be applied and it affords a great deal of fun and excitement!
Polystyrene foam sticks with a square or rectangular profile will not fit into a round target hole (e.g., the opening of a soda bottle) at room temperature. However, they do contract sufficiently in contact with liquid nitrogen to fit into the hole and produce a simple demonstration of Charles’s Law. Many other polymer foams do not shrink under these conditions, but still provide opportunities to discuss and explore their structure and chemistry.
Nora Walsh shares the outline of the interactive notebook pages she uses for her gases unit. Templates for all of the documents and foldables are available for download.
Gas Laws are an essential and easily accessible area of chemistry to understand. They can be an excellent foothold into the inner workings of chemistry. On December 9th, 2021, Daniel Radoff shared his unit covering gas laws in this ChemBasics Talk. You can view a recording of his presentation and access materials he has suggested.
Chad Husting uses a few simple gas law experiments to introduce his students to the particulate level of chemistry.
Helping students develop abstract understanding is a universal goal. This article describes an activity that involves students developing and then solving novel quantitative chemistry problems following a MadLibsTM style framework.
Stacks of LEGO bricks can be used to illustrate the composition and pressures of various planetary atmospheres. Guides for the construction and use of these atmosphere sticks are provided.
