Syenite rocks containing sodalite that fluoresce yellow have been found on Lake Superior beaches in recent years and are of interest to collectors. The fluorescence of this mineral, which can be found in other localities, can be shown in classrooms and studied spectroscopically. Its structure can also be modeled with LEGO bricks, enabling further classroom connections.
Regularly dimpled trays such as those used in food packaging can be used to represent layers of atoms in solid structures. For example, the square array of dimples in transparent plastic mini quiche trays can be used to depict layers within cubic or tetragonal unit cells. Multiple solid structures and ways to represent those structures are described.
Did you know there is a simple test you can do to see if an alkaline battery is fresh or dead? All you need to do is bounce the bottom of a battery onto a hard, flat surface. Guess what causes this difference in bouncing ability between fresh and dead batteries? Chemistry, of course!
A new event called "The Mole"was unveiled at BCCE 2018. I told the story of how one of my students discovered how to make marshmallows spark in the microwave oven.
Mercury(II) iodide is heated to convert it from its red low-temperature alpha form to its yellow high-temperature beta form.
When the beta form of mercury(II) iodide cools to below the transition temperature of 126°C, it returns to the red/orange alpha form.
When memory metal is bent, it deforms. When placed into hot water, the metal "remembers" its original shape.
An animation shows how memory metal can be deformed then go back to its original shape.
An animation illustrates how peeling occurs between layers where bonding is weak in molybdenum disulfide.
Lead is a relatively soft metal that can be flattened.
