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Letters to the editor

In the November 2016 issue you asked about podcasts... I listened...

Spooky pumpkin

October 2017...

Lab safety & common sense — not mutually exclusive

In the September issue of this fabulous publication there is an idea for a first-day activity, taken from the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario (STAO) virtual library...

In praise of two-litre soda bottles

I have been in this business too long ...

ChemEd 2017 Irwin Talesnick Award: Jean Hein

Jean Hein, editor of Chem 13 News magazine has won the Irwin Talesnick Award at ChemEd 2017...

The making of a mole

After reading the March 2015 issue I was inspired by Sharon Geyer’s article...

Thought lab

A couple of years ago, with the re-write of the AP Chemistry test and the increased focus on inquiry...

Lime-A-Way

Spend 7 to 10 minutes with your group...

The chemistry of Alka-Seltzer

The cost of everything keeps going up!

Who knew?

'Black tongue and Pepto-Bismol” ... quite a little scare. Soon after waking from a night’s sleep, I clear my throat and spit into the bathroom sink...

Mole pattern

Melissa Jones from Austin, Texas had this little home-made mole at ChemEd 2017...

The events

Below are brief descriptions of the current five annual events...

Letters to the editor

Davis's excellent article (Cobalt complex ions…)

2017 Canadian chemistry teacher of the year: Michael P Jansen

Readers of Chem 13 News will recognize the name of this year’s winner of the Chemical Institute of Canada Beaumier Award for excellence in teaching chemistry at the high school or CÉGEP level in Canada...

Thank you… for the struggle

I gotta say, everyone, that it was huge to receive the Chemical Institute of Canada’s 2017 ...

Percentage purity of calcium carbide — a quick lab

In Ontario Grade 11 Chemistry, students study percentage yield of a chemical reaction...

Just take a breath

If you ask students in elementary grades to take a breath and then describe what they have taken in...

Edible candle

With a quick internet search, I found a Flinn Scientific video by Lee Marek presenting this demonstration called “Potato Candle”...

Littlest chemis-tree

A meaningful science-based activity on the last day of school before winter holidays is important.

Christmas Lanterns

Letter to the editor

What are you doing for the last day before winter break. Do you have some soda pop cans, The Christmas Lanterns worked great...

Seasonal message

secret Christmas message

Hydronium ion: Yes or no?

Do you use the hydronium ion when writing a weak acid equilibrium system?

Crossing the Rubicon

If you’re a history buff...

Scavenger hunt

This is an excellent activity to use for review at the end of the semester.

Chemis-trees revisited

This page is currently under construction, please contact Jean Hein for more information.

But sir, the computer ate my homework…and other mystical excuses

Computers have become an essential part of everyday life.

1988 Avogadro Exam: Part 1

This page is currently under construction, please contact Jean Hein for more information.

VSEPR, the easy way

The basic idea is that in any Lewis structure...

A buffered vs. a non-buffered solution

Students often struggle with the difference between a solution that is buffered and one that is not.

Chemistry in our lives

Before you start filling in the maze with letters

Comparing the SN1 and SN2 Reactions

Cat teaching organic chemistry reactions...

Across the pond - Continental Europe

Now we travel further east to discuss other Europeans before Brexit makes it harder to leave England.

First entry to Periodic Table Project New Elements

For my tile I selected the element nihonium.

Deep thoughts

On April 12, 2016, Brandie Freeman, Woodland High School in Cartersville, Georgia tweeted this interesting thought.

Regulation of active ingredient content in tablets

We began to use individual tablets of over-the-counter (OTC) consumer products as samples for some introductory analytical chemistry experiments in 2006.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Teacher replaces written final with a practical lab exam (Part 1)

Winston Churchill once wrote, “There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” It was indeed not an easy decision to leave the time-honoured convention of a final written exam and replace it with a final practical exam in my chemistry courses.

Education research denialism

Have you heard these denials? As a high school chemistry teacher, are you a denier of educational research? It is a question worth pondering. I recommend you read the entire article and keep up with — and believe — educational research just as you do with the latest advances in chemistry.

Gravimetric titration: simple, buret-free, and high precision

In this article two example applications of gravimetric titration — acid content of fruit juices/soft drinks and pH titration curves — are presented. Both are suitable for laboratory experiments in senior secondary school chemistry courses or in college general chemistry courses.

New period in the periodic table?

When will the first element of Period 8 be synthesized? Which element will it be? Which country will first accomplish the task? Now that each element in Period 7 has been synthesized, these are the questions on the minds of every nuclear chemist and physicist.