How Do Color Changing Marshmallows Work?
Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 07/19/2023 - 12:10
With a little chemical investigation, you can figure out how Jet-Puffed's new color changing marshmallows work!
second-year undergraduate
Plastic Beverage Bottles and More as Orbital Models
Dean Campbell | Fri, 06/02/2023 - 07:58
The shapes of plastic bottles can be used to represent orbitals. Using various connectors, a bit of packing tape, and a few other more specialized touches can produce large scale molecular models that feature orbitals, sigma bonds, and pi bonds.
Seashell Chemistry
Tom Kuntzleman | Thu, 06/01/2023 - 14:15
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.
A Demo A Day III: Demonstrations and Props Used in My General Chemistry II Classes
Dean Campbell | Sun, 05/21/2023 - 10:50
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.
Some chemistry related to the Ohio Train Derailment
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 02/28/2023 - 12:49
Diffusion of HCl(g) from concentrated solutions of HCl can be used to illustrate some chemistry related to the train accident in Ohio.
Hatching Ideas to use Egg Cartons to Represent Electron Arrangements
Dean Campbell | Mon, 01/23/2023 - 14:11
Egg cartons and small objects such as milk jug caps or plastic eggs can be used to illustrate chemical concepts. The egg cartons can be cut into trays to represent atoms or to represent energy levels associated with atomic orbitals. The plastic caps or eggs distributed among the dimples of the trays can be used to represent electrons or pairs of electrons.
A Visit to Natural Fiber Welding: Demonstrating Green Chemistry in Action
Dean Campbell | Mon, 10/10/2022 - 09:00
The theme to the 2022 National Chemistry Week, observed October 16-22, is “Fabulous Fibers: The Chemistry of Fabrics”. A visit to Natural Fiber Welding, Inc. in Peoria, IL, revealed how that company is using ionic liquids to solvent weld cellulose fibers together to produce more durable yarn which can then be made into more durable fabric. The production method and “greenness” of the product is discussed, from the cellulose itself to the recycling of the solution used in the welding process. Macroscopic demonstrations of the fiber solvent welding process are also described.
The Chemistry of Lightning
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 09/20/2022 - 09:42
Learn a bit about the chemical reactions that occur during a lightning strike, and how you can demonstrate these reactions in your classroom.
Effect of Temperature on the Whoosh Bottle
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 07/05/2022 - 13:45
Why does the "Whoosh Bottle" experiment behave differently at different temperatures?
Exploring The “Two-Faced” Thionin Reaction
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 04/19/2022 - 11:44
The "Two-Faced" thionin reaction involves causing a purple solution to fade to colorless by shining light on the solution. I wondered if it could be demonstrated the color of light that caused this transition.