The Chemistry of Lightning
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 09/20/2022 - 09:42
Learn a bit about the chemical reactions that occur during a lightning strike, and how you can demonstrate these reactions in your classroom.
acid/base
Chemical Mystery #20: Magic Kool-Aid
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 07/11/2022 - 10:05
You can solve Chemical Mystery #20 if you know your chemistry...and your magic!
KoolAid and similar drinks as convenient laboratory reagents: The weak acid-strong base titration of citric acid or malic acid
David Cash | Fri, 05/13/2022 - 08:06
The major component of a non-carbonated drink such as KoolAid or a similar beverage is usually a fruit acid, either citric acid or malic acid. The titratable acid (H+) concentration of such drinks has been found to be in the range of 0.02 to 0.04 M. A weak acid-strong base titration of these drinks with 0.1 M NaOH solution is feasible as a student exercise. The use of such drinks as reagents is safe, convenient, and inexpensive. Experiment instructions are included.
Can Alkaline Water Change Body pH?
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 05/09/2022 - 08:13
Can Alkaline Water Change the pH of your body? We use chemistry to put this claim to the test!
Water Tower Reservoir Analogy of a Buffer
Joseph Lomax | Sun, 05/01/2022 - 14:50
In this blog the author describes how three components of a water tower reservoir is analogous to an acid-base buffer system.
Is Chocolate Cake an Acid-Base Indicator? Testing a Student Claim
Josh Kenney | Mon, 02/28/2022 - 10:21
Recently, Josh Kenney took time from his regular scheduled chemistry curriculum to investigate a student's claim that chocolate cake was an acid-base indicator.
Expanding on Self-Inflating Balloons: Activities Involving Moles, Gas Laws, and Thermochemistry
Dean Campbell | Thu, 02/10/2022 - 08:42
Balloons that inflate using carbon dioxide produced from the reaction of citric acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate can be used to demonstrate a number of aspects of chemistry. Gas laws were used with the balloons to illustrate limiting reactants, molar mass of gases, and rockets. The endothermic reaction in the balloon was visualized with an infrared camera, and the Green Chemistry aspects of these balloons were considered.
Solution to Chemical Mystery #19: Multi-colored Mixture
Tom Kuntzleman | Sun, 02/06/2022 - 13:22
Did you figure out how to create a multi-colored mixture? Check out the solution to Chemical Mystery #19: Multi-colored Mixture!
A Demo A Day: Demonstrations and Props Used in My General Chemistry Class
Dean Campbell | Mon, 01/17/2022 - 17:43
This blog post includes short descriptions of demonstrations and props that Dean Campbell has used while teaching his collegiate General Chemistry I course.
Food Dyes as Acid-Base Indicators
Tom Kuntzleman | Sun, 11/28/2021 - 10:51
Natural food dyes are being sold online and in stores that can be used as acid-base indicators. These dyes open up a host of possibilities for at-home and in-class. For example, these food dyes can be used as indicators in the quantitative titration of the Mg(OH)2 in milk of magnesia.