The purpose of this letter is to evaluate and validate the procedures described by Ford and Mason (February 2018 issue) using a microwave oven and chocolate bar to measure the speed of light.
The small balloon in a syringe for demonstrating Boyle’s law can be substituted with an air-containing, cut and knotted finger of an exam glove.
The initial response of the Fourth Form Chemistry Group (14/15-year-olds) to the prospect of writing a chemistry poem for homework was one of bemused horror and disbelief.
The “Burning Steel Wool” demonstration is an engaging means to illustrate that increasing the amount of available oxygen increases the rate of combustion. A 9-volt battery is used to ignite a small piece of steel wool, first in air, and then in an oxygen-enriched environment.
With a quick internet search, I found a Flinn Scientific video by Lee Marek presenting this demonstration called “Potato Candle”...
The Chemical sunset demonstrates the Tyndall effect in a fun and engaging way. We have used this demonstration for both instructional and outreach purposes. Colloidal sulfur is produced by the reaction between sodium thiosulfate and hydrochloric acid.
This article comes from a blog called Sustainable School Teacher . I recommend you watch the blog’s 10-minute video because Brandie outlines her idea to introduce a hands-on approach to stoichiometry. Once you watch this video you will want to investigate her other ideas.
An aluminum can is not just made of aluminum, but it is lined with a plastic film to prevent oxidation of the inside surface by any acid in the soft drink’s contents. In the experiment, by oxidizing the aluminum from the outside, the intact plastic lining can be seen.
Since 2003, I have been volunteering at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia, both during my summer vacations and also during part of my two fellowship leaves.
We’ve gotten more mileage out of this simple lab than anything else we’ve ever done! We must admit it is easy and fast — with no disposal issues. We basically are separating water from a colored solution by boiling and collecting the water on a cold finger — created with inexpensive aluminum foil filled with ice.