Video demonstration

Items tagged with this term contain videos of demonstrations that contain safety concerns.

Subject

Safety: Video Demonstration

Demonstration videos presented here are not meant as tools to teach chemical demonstration techniques. They are meant as a tool for classroom use. The demonstrations may present safety hazards or show phenomena that are difficult for an entire class to observe in a live demonstration.

Those performing the demonstrations shown in this video have been trained and adhere to best safety practices.

Anyone thinking about performing a chemistry demonstration should first read and then adhere to the ACS Safety Guidelines for Chemical Demonstrations (2016) These guidelines are also available at ChemEd X.

Assassin's Bottle title card
Ramping Up the Disappearing Rainbow with the Assassin’s Water Bottle
// Tuesday, September 16, 2025 • Tom Kuntzleman
The disappearing rainbow1 is a wonderful chemistry demonstration previously featured here on ChemEdX.2-4 In this experiment, a colorless solution of NaOH is poured into a row of flasks, each containing a different acid–base indicator.
Picture Perfect Chemistry title preview image
Picture Perfect Chemistry
// Saturday, October 19, 2024 • Tom Kuntzleman
Josh Kenney, Melissa Hemling, and I just published an article in the October 2024 Journal of Chemical Education. The article describes inquiry-based activities that highlight the chemistry behind “No-Mess” picture-coloring books.1 Well, it turns out that our timing is impeccable.
The Chemistry of Water Reveal Coloring Books preview image with picture of water reveal dinosaur book
The Chemistry of Water Reveal Coloring Books
// Tuesday, July 16, 2024 • Tom Kuntzleman
A variety of interesting coloring books are available on the market that use water as a coloring agent.1 When water is applied to the pages of these books, colors seem to appear like magic. When the water evaporates, the colors disappear. This allows the pages of these books to be colored over and over again.
preview image - title "Ice Clouds 2.0" with image of cloud of ice backlit by sun.
Ice Clouds 2.0
// Tuesday, January 16, 2024 • Tom Kuntzleman
About a decade ago, I wrote briefly about the interesting experiment of throwing boiling hot water into air that is below -18°C (0°F) (see Ice Clouds).
exploding watermelon with carved face
The Self-Carving Pumpkin: It's Not Just for Halloween!
// Tuesday, May 2, 2023 • Tom Kuntzleman
The chemistry demonstration called the self-carving pumpkin1 is a blast (no pun intended) to conduct around Halloween. To prepare this experiment, a jack-o-lantern face is carved into a pumpkin, but the eye, nose, and mouth pieces are saved. These pieces are then gently placed back into the holes in the pumpkin.
Some chemistry related to the Ohio Train Derailment
// Tuesday, February 28, 2023 • Tom Kuntzleman
On February 3, 2023, a train derailed in the town of East Palestine, Ohio.1-2 Five of the train cars were carrying vinyl chloride (Figure 1), a compound that is mostly used to make PVC.