The Ruben's Tube (also known as a Flame Tube) is a classic experiment used in physics classes. There's also a bit of chemistry to be learned while experimenting with a Ruben's Tube...
Chemistry Education in Times of Disruption
The May 2020 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: understanding structures; digital information and web-based learning; exploring everyday chemistry; curriculum innovations; games for teaching; NMR spectroscopy; examining properties of organic liquids; biochemistry laboratories; analytical and physical chemistry laboratories; computational chemistry; innovative low-cost instruments; research on knowledge and skills for teachers and chemists; from the archives: hands-on chemistry at home.
If you know your chemistry, you can figure out how the bubbles get busted!
We are now in a situation in which the most compassionate response each of us can express toward anyone is to stay six feet away. Regardless of the circumstances, we still need to find a way to help our students.
Solutions of copper (II) dissolved in acetone are easy to prepare, and can display orange, yellow, green, and blue color depending upon conditions. Such solutions allow for a variety of demonstrations and experiments that illustrate principles of chemical equilibrium.
This unique microscale gas collection technique provides students with reasonably good data in a short period of time. Students have more time to analyze the data and communicate their findings.
I observe a red to blue color change when I rinse my bowl after eating frozen blueberries. Sounds like an acid-base reaction, doesn’t it? Well, read on to learn about the blueberry surprise!
Before trying to use a piece of equipment, it’s worthwhile to have a basic understanding of how it works. To put it simply, FLIR cameras primarily deal with the infrared part of the EMR spectrum. The camera detects infrared energy and converts it into an electrical signal, which is then processed to produce a thermal image on a video monitor.
Chemistry and lasers can be used to create a demonstration that includes several colors and flashing lights. This demonstration connects to topics in quantum chemistry and phase changes.
This experiment in chemical kinetics can be conducted using materials as simple as a smartphone, hydrogen peroxide, sodium carbonate solution, and blue food dye! The experiment is useful when discussing the order of rate laws with respect to reactants.
