May 2025 Xchange

What to do After the AP Exam

It’s mid-May, your dual credit and AP exams are done, but you still have weeks of school to go! What do you do? We’ve rounded up a few fun ideas that range in both content and type of activity. 

A Critical Look at Units

In this blog, Michael Jansen considers the significance of using proper units and their role in helping students develop a conceptual understanding of Chemistry.  

Not so Green Up Close: a Peek at a dyed Chicago River Sample

Light absorbance and fluorescence were studied for a sample of the Chicago River that had been dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day. The sample had weak green fluorescence, showing that the intense green appearance of the river was in part due to the long path length of light through the water. The ability of the green color to partition into 1-octanol was also explored.

Schrödinger’s Chef: Quantum superposition and the result-less-ness of unperformed experiments

A pre-dinner conversation leads to a different way of thinking about quantum superposition.  A meal from an idiosyncratic chef is not defined until “the reveal.”  Discussion of this leads to the statement by Asher Peres that “unperformed experiments have no results.”  Discussion of Peres’ statement, then contrasting versions of resultlessness in both macroscopic and quantum realms, leads to classroom discussion.  This, hopefully, creates an easier and deeper understanding of quantum mechanics.

Teaching Introductory Chemistry by Scott Milam

Looking for a great resource to dive into this summer? Check out Scott Milam's book, reviewed here, by several experienced teacher leaders. 

ChemEd X Editor-in-Chief Position

The Chemical Education Xchange, a digital platform supported by the American Chemical Society’s Division of Chemical Education, is hiring the next Editor-in-Chief to lead the ChemEd X editorial team and to continue to support a thriving and growing virtual community of chemistry educators. This part-time, stipend-supported role provides an excellent opportunity to lead the exchange of high-impact digital educational content, activities, blogs, and other resources in chemical education and to foster collaboration, as well as to continue to lead the development of this digital platform.

ChemEd 2025

Join us at ChemEd 2025 this July at the Colorado School of Mines. Check out this post to learn about all the exciting opportunities! 

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.