Placing dry ice in limewater is a great demonstration to accompany discussions on a variety of chemical topics, including the impact of ocean acidification on marine organisms that depend upon the formation of CaCO3.
The candy "Toxic Waste" and "Pop Rocks" are fun ways to show changes in acid base indicators. There is also an easy way to test car exhaust with an indicator.
Dean Campbell tries to use at least one demo for every class to illustrate concepts described in his chemistry courses. In this post, he includes short descriptions of the demonstrations and props he has used while teaching his collegiate General Chemistry II courses.
Experienced chemistry teachers offer tips for setting up labs!
YouTube Shorts are 60-second vertical aspect ratio videos that are meant for cell phone viewing. Since they are shorter and easier for students to access than traditional YouTube videos, Josh Kenney has started creating more of them for his blended chemistry class. Check out some of his tips for creating effective chemistry tutorials with YouTube Shorts.
Learn the chemistry behind the reaction between calcium carbide and water...melon...?!
A trip to see the 2024 solar eclipse provided the opportunity to explore ideas associated with sulfur in petroleum, sunlight intensity measurements, laser interference patterns from eclipse glasses, and large-scale light emission from excited hydrogen.
This timely post is a perfect fit for the theme of Chemists Celebrate Earth Week 2023! Algae is a rich topic with many possible connections to the chemistry classroom. Algae needs to take in light, carbon dioxide, and various simple nutrients and, though it can sometimes get out of control, can produce oxygen, diatomaceous earth, and other products. It can even fluoresce pink!
The AP with WE Service program is one way to incorporate service-learning into your AP course to improve student understanding of content and help develop the leaders of tomorrow.
Laser cutters can be used to cut and engrave a variety of thin materials. Compact discs, composed of layers of polycarbonate plastic and aluminum metal, were explored for their ability to be shaped with a laser cutter. The laser can successfully cut and engrave the compact discs into the shape of snowflake. However, each disc must first be coated with a material like glue in order to protect the plastic from discoloration and the byproducts from cutting the plastic that can accumulate on the disc surface.
