food chemistry

Jet-Puffed color changing marshmallows are an interesting new product that is available on the shelves of grocery stores through the end of September.¹ The color of these marshmallows changes when exposed to heat: the blue version turns green, while the pink version turns orange.

This activity is an interesting way to engage students before formally beginning the study of Thermochemistry.

Like a lot of folks (including students), I love brownies. My teaching style and objectives emphasize the applications of chemistry learned in lecture to everyday consumer products familiar to students.

I try to examine activities an multiple levels. First on the list, I want to know if my students will be engaged and learn something. Second, how difficult is it for me as a teacher to actually pull it off? One of the most important questions...are the students learning chemistry or just having fun?

About three years ago I had an idea.

JCE Classroom Activities are a collection of over 100 chemistry experiments and demonstrations that can be carried out using simple materials found around the house or at grocery store and hardware stores. For example, JCE Classroom Activity #92 describes how to test for the presence of iodide in iodized salt using only water, iodized salt, 3% hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and liquid laundry starch.