Thermochemistry

Energy changes and transfers, endo and exothermic, law of conservation of energy

Analysis of Devil's Milkshake
Thermochemical Analysis of the Devil's Milkshake
// Wednesday, October 28, 2020 • Tom Kuntzleman
A year ago I stumbled across a fun way to present the reaction between calcium metal and water. Check it out (including a video explanation): The Devil's Milkshake. Ca(s) + H2O(l) → CaO(s) + H2(g)       Equation 1
Text: Q = mcDT  The Ocean and Climate Change
Heat, The Ocean, and Climate Change
// Friday, October 16, 2020 • Tom Kuntzleman
For the past few years when I’ve been covering introductory concepts in thermodynamics, I’ve made a connection to climate change. My students and I calculate the energy that has been gained by Earth’s oceans as heat, using the following equation that is familiar to students of introductory and general chemistry:
diagram of three reaction routes to same product and images of substance used in activity
An Experimental Demonstration of Hess's Law
// Sunday, August 2, 2020 • Philip Penketh
Prologue: The application of Hess's Law frequently presents students with conceptual problems, and I believe that performing a series of experiments that confirms Hess's Law, is probably the best way to impart a robust understanding of this principle. A plaque on the wall of the Oxford University Biochemistry Department reads:
infrared image of the process of dissolution
Seeing Chemistry in a Different Light—FLIR Thermal Cameras in the Classroom
// Wednesday, January 15, 2020 • Ben Meacham
One of the inherent challenges of teaching chemistry is to make the invisible, visible. Often, we try to overcome this barrier by getting creative with a variety of models, animations, and simulations to help students think about chemistry in a way that is easier to conceptualize.
bear silhouette
Metabolic Marvels of Bear Hibernation- Part 2
// Monday, December 2, 2019 • Scott Donnelly
Welcome and thanks for reading. This post is the second that discusses the tantalizing chemistry related to the metabolic marvel of bear hibernation. Click here to read the first post.
IR camera image of student and beaker at lab counter
AACT Science Coaches
// Tuesday, April 30, 2019 • Lauren Stewart
This past school year, I had the opportunity to participate in the AACT Science Coaches program. When I applied for the program, I expected to be partnered with a professor, probably someone who had been in academia for quite awhile. I thought that this person could share their research with my students and maybe help me with some content questions.
legs by a vehicle and a wallet with cash
Gibbs Free Energy Analogy
// Thursday, April 4, 2019 • Kristen Drury
This is a new activity for chemistry students who struggle with the correlation between changes in enthalpy, temperature, entropy, and the Gibbs free energy of a system; which relies on an analogy that most students will be familiar with.