March 2022 Xchange

The March 2022 Xchange highlights some of the contributions that have recently been published on ChemEd X. We hope you will take a moment to check in and see what you may have missed.


Radioactivity of Red-Orange Fiestaware Finding demos related to nuclear chemistry that are interesting, relevant, and manageable is challenging. Melanie Harvey is both a chemistry professor and a ceramic artist. Using Fiestaware to talk about the historical use of radioisotopes is one of her favorite demonstrations.

	My Heart Beats for Chemistry Tom Kuntzleman conducts a safer "mercury-like" beating heart experiment with an added splash of gratefulness.

Solutions with Kristen Vanderveen Solutions are all around us in life and chemistry class! On February 10th, 2022, Kristen Vanderveen discussed solubility curves, molarity calculations, using particulate level modeling and simulations, making real world connections and so much more in this ChemBasics Talk. View a recording of her presentation and access materials she has suggested here.

	The Effect of Multiple Assessment Opportunities on Student Achievement in a Large General Chemistry Course Mastery-based grading involves assessing student mastery of a defined set of learning objectives. In this virtual talk the practical implementation of additional assessments, outcomes of student achievement, and lessons learned will be discussed.

Apply to participate in the 2022 VisChem Institute Check out this exciting, in-person, NSF-funded, summer 2022 professional development institute for high school chemistry teachers. Priority application deadline: March 7, 2022.

	Understanding Chemistry through Microscale Practical Work - Great Resource Looking for a great resource for using microscale practices in chemistry class?

Confidence with Competence How to build confidence in your students and minimize aggression.

	Expanding on Self-Inflating Balloons: Activities Involving Moles, Gas Laws, and Thermochemistry 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.

How to Make Simple Mole Calculations More Relatable Explore a chemistry activity designed to have students measure quantities and calculate the moles and number of particles contained in the sample.

	Solution to Chemical Mystery #19: Multi-colored Mixture Did you figure out how to create a multi-colored mixture? Check out the solution to Chemical Mystery #19: Multi-colored Mixture!

ChemEd X Call for Contributions ChemEd X invites practitioners in the chemical education community to share their experiences, knowledge and the resources they use in their classroom and laboratory.

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