Student challenges

Chemist's palette puzzle

Enter your students’ correct solutions into a draw on or before February 1, 2020. The prize is Instant Snow Polymer donated by Educational Innovations. Author: Avi Ornstein, Classical Magnet School, Hartford, Connecticut

Chem dates

Upcoming events in Winter and Spring 2020

To have your program listed, email Kathy Jackson at: kjackson@uwaterloo.ca Author: Chem 13 News, Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Tough questions series – 2006 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam

(This is a reprint from the May 2007 issue of Chem 13 News, page 16.) Author: Carey Bissonnette, CHEM 13 NEWS, Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Tough questions series – 2007 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam

(This is a reprint from the September 2007 issue of Chem 13 News, pages 4-5.) Author: Carey Bissonnette, CHEM 13 NEWS Exam, Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Tough questions series – 2008 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam

(This is a reprint from the October 2008 issue of Chem 13 News, pages 4-5.) Author: Carey Bissonnette, CHEM 13 NEWS Exam, Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Tough questions series – 2009 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam

(This is a reprint from the September 2009 issue of Chem 13 News, pages 10-11.) Questions #12 and #24 from the 2009 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam challenged most students and quite a few teachers! Let’s focus first on question #12, which is reproduced below.  Author: Carey Bissonnette, CHEM 13 NEWS Exam coordinator, Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Tough question series – 2010 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam

(This is a reprint from the March 2011 issue of Chem 13 News, pages 4-5.) Question #20 from the 2010 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam was, statistically speaking, the question that best discriminated between the “better” students and the “weaker” students. Author: Carey Bissonnette, CHEM 13 NEWS Exam coordinator, Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Tough questions series – 2011 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam

(This is a reprint from the December 2011 and January 2012 issue of Chem 13 News, page 11.) The subject of this article is question #8 from the 2011 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam. Only 16% of students answered the question correctly and, more surprisingly, 62% of students did not answer it at all. Author: Carey Bissonnette, CHEM 13 NEWS Exam coordinator, Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Tough question series – 2012 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam

(This is a reprint from the March 2013 issue of Chem 13 News, pages 6-7.) The subject of this article is question #39 from the 2012 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam. Only 22% of students answered the question correctly and 52% of students did not answer it all. Author: Carey Bissonnette, CHEM 13 NEWS Exam coordinator, Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Tough questions series – 2013 CHEM 13 NEWS exam

(This is a reprint from the November 2013 issue of Chem 13 News, pages 3-4.) This article focuses on a couple of questions from the 2013 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam. The first is question #9, which is reproduced below. Almost all students responded (94%), with 34% of them choosing the correct response (B), and about the same percentage (32%) choosing answer C. This question was, from a statistical perspective, among those that best discriminated between the “stronger” students and the “weaker” students.

Tough questions series – 2014 CHEM 13 NEWS Exam

(This is a reprint from the February 2015 issue of Chem 13 News, pages 14-15.) This article focuses on question #10 from the 2014 CHEM 13 News Exam, which is reproduced below. The number below each response is the percentage of students selecting that response. The correct answer is E. Author: Carey Bissonnette, CHEM 13 NEWS Exam Coordinator, Chemistry Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

2019 Chem 13 News and Avogadro Exam winners

The 2019 University of Waterloo Chem 13 News and Avogadro exams were written online by a combined 6,948 grade 11 and 12 student worldwide. Author: Laura Ingram, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Elementary word search puzzle

Enter your students’ correct solutions into a draw on or before December 1, 2019. The prize is a Bismuth Crystal and is donated by Educational Innovations (www.teachersource.com). Author: Avi Ornstein, Classical Magnet School, Hartford, Connecticut

Periodic message puzzle

Can you translate this code, adding punctuation to get a clear message? Author: Avi Ornstein, Classical Magnet School, Hartford, Connecticut

Hidden chemical puzzle

Write the answers to the questions in the grid. One vertical column will be the chemical name of an over-the-counter medication. Author: Avi Ornstein, Classical Magnet School, Hartford, Connecticut

Hidden chemistry words puzzle

A dozen six-letter words commonly used in chemistry have been separated into individual letters and jumbled throughout the box. You need to find the correct first letter for each word and then follow the given route noted below each line to spell the answer. Author: Avi Ornstein, Classical Magnet School, Hartford, Connecticut

Elemental compounds puzzle

Each of these elements appears in at least one of the listed chemicals. However, if you are careful, it is possible to select the correct choices so that each element is matched with a compound and each chemical is used only once. Author: Avi Orstein, Classical Magnet School, Hartford, Connecticut

2019 Chem 13 News and Avogadro Exams

Do you have a 75-minute period to challenge your students chemically? Give them the experience of writing the Chem 13 News Exam or Avogadro Exam! The Chem 13 News Exam will be written on Thursday, May 9, 2019, and is designed for senior students in their second high school chemistry course.

Hidden elements puzzle

Enter your students’ correct solutions into a draw on or before January 10, 2020. The prize is a pack of 30 Large Heat-Sensitive Periodic Tables donated by Educational Innovations Author: Avi Ornstein, Classical Magnet School, Hartford, Connecticut

Quotegram puzzle

Complete the sentences. For the complete version of this fun Quotegram puzzle with grid, print this full version printable PDF.

Timeline update

At the time of this printing, 18 countries have applied to participate along with all the Canadian provinces and numerous US states. We have more applications than elements! If you have applied for an element you should be hearing from us by email in the next few weeks!

Famous scientists puzzle

Name and then match the statements below with the scientist’s photo

Colour-by-numbers chemis-tree

Use the following colours for each numbered flask

Chemical anagrams

Each of these terms can be rearranged to create a common name for an actual chemical with the given chemical formula.

Canadian Crystal Growing Competition

The Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) National Crystal Growing Competition is a fun, hands-on experience as well as an exciting opportunity. Schools are provided with materials and instructions on how to grow crystals and the objective is to grow the biggest and highest quality single crystal.

Chemistry nomenclature puzzle

First, write the chemical formula for each chemical. Then count the number of atoms present in each formula. Finally, convert the number to a letter (A=1, B=2, etc.) and place the letters in the appropriate space to create a hidden quote.

Celebrating decade of the 70s - Lab safety puzzle

This puzzle is a reprint from Chem 13 News from the 1970s. It was one of many safety articles by Nick Ozaruk, University of Waterloo, Waterloo Ontario. Shown is a sketch of a fictitious laboratory. It isn’t ours. However, there are conditions or actions that could result in accidents, some very serious. List the unsafe acts and/or conditions that you can spot in the drawing.

Elemental percentages puzzle

Each percentage relates to a particular element — students will need to know how to do percentage composition. Place the abbreviation for each element in order, and you will find the answer.

Nomenclature nonsense puzzle

Zach Miller, a student from Jodie Davis’ class was selected for having the correct answers to the puzzle in December 2017 and January 2018 issue.

A forgetful crostic winner

The book winner for solving A forgetful crostic in the December 2017 and January 2018 issue is Rida Ahmed, a student of Dr. Robert Corell, a teacher at Princeton High School in Princeton, New Jersey. The quote was taken from Grammatical Man by Jeremy Campbell.

2018 Chem 13 News and Avogadro exam winners

Yashan Chelliahpilla, from Glenforest Secondary School in Mississauga (Ontario), scored a near perfect 39 out of 40 on the 2018 Chem 13 News Exam and ranked 2nd out of the 2198 students worldwide who wrote this year’s exam. Yashan is shown alongside his teacher Samuel Diljohn holding his elemental tile, featuring erbium (element 68) to commemorate the year (1968) in which the first issue of the Chem 13 News magazine was published.

A coded message

Are you able to translate this coded message?

Chemistry criss-cross puzzle

Enter your students’ correct solutions into a draw on or before June 30, 2018. The prize is the book, Chemistry with Charisma: Volume 1. It will be awarded to the teacher.

Scrambled chemistry quote

The letters in each column fit in the spaces directly below the column. The black squares note the end of a word. If the letters are placed in the correct spaces, you will wind up with a quote of Richard Feynman. It is a good quote to display in your chemistry classroom.

The easiest and the toughest questions in 2017 CCC

Chemistry competitions can help students build their confidence and skills in chemistry and critical thinking. The Chemical Institute of Canada hopes that chemistry teachers across Canada will support their students in enrolling in the Canadian Chemistry Contest (CCC) and/or the Canadian Chemistry Olympiad contest (CCO).

Winter Olympics chemistry puzzle

Each letter represents another letter in the alphabet. Each chemical “term” matches the definition of how this aspect of chemistry relates to the Winter Olympics. As a clue, the terms are listed in alphabetic order.

Nomenclature nonsense

Just in time for Christmas, here is an organic nomenclature quiz to test your knowledge, as well as your sense of humour. The purpose of this quiz is to match up the following “structures” with their “correct” names (page 10).

Philosophy of education

Solve the following cryptogram by determining which actual letter is represented by the letter used in these six statements. They express my philosophy of education.

A chemistry history puzzle

A bit of history: September 23, 1916, the National School of Industrial Chemistry was inaugurated in Mexico City, by Juan Salvador Agraz, a visionary chemical engineer...

Valuable knowledge

Find the related message by solving for a pair of words that each match the definition below. The second word is identical to the first word, with one letter deleted. The deleted letter then is placed in the appropriate position to form the message. [For example, if the clue was “a substance that neutralizes a base and has an irritating and unpleasant taste or odor,” the answer might be ACRID ACID and the resulting letter would be R.

Famous scientists

First identify the scientists who match the given clues. Their names are used to solve the hidden quote. Lower case letters refer to the scientists’ first names and upper case letters refer to their last names.

Avogadro Exam 1988: Part 4

To celebrate the 30th year of the Avogadro Exam we are reprinting the last ten questions from the first exam held in May 1988. The exam was, and is, aimed at grade 11 chemistry students.

Decoding the chemicals in our food puzzle

André Dumais’s classroom submission from Hearst High School in Hearst, Ontario and Curt Peters from Kristi Deaver’s Honors Chemistry class at Ankeny Centennial High School in Ankeny, Iowa were selected for having the correct answers to the contest in our October 2016 issue.

2016 Canadian Chemistry Contest: Worst discriminator

Students expect contests to have tough questions. The Canadian Chemistry Contest (CCC) aims to promote national excellence in chemistry at the high school level.

New Elements Contest

The deadline to submit designs for the newly named elements is fast approaching...

Avogadro Exam 1988: Part 3

To celebrate the 30th year of the Avogadro Exam we are reprinting questions from the first exam in 1988 in this and upcoming issues. The exam was, and is, aimed at grade 11 chemistry students.

#clickbaitchem

In the November issue, we asked readers to send in #clickbait for chemistry curriculum topics.

Avogadro Exam 1988: Part 2

To celebrate the 30th year of the Avogadro Exam we are reprinting questions from the first exam in 1988 in this and upcoming issues. The exam was, and is, aimed at grade 11 chemistry students.

Valentine’s su-chem-du

Using the symbols of the nine elements listed below, complete the su-chem-du to find the answer to the clue! The letters of the elemental symbols in the bolded boxes, when unscrambled, will spell out a Valentine’s message.

2016 Canadian Chemistry Contest: Best discriminators

The Canadian Chemistry Contest (CCC) consists of two parts: for Part A, students must answer 25 multiple choice questions and for Part B, students must write two essays from among three topics. It is designed to challenge top chemistry students in Canada