Chemical Mystery #20: Magic Kool-Aid
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 07/11/2022 - 10:05
You can solve Chemical Mystery #20 if you know your chemistry...and your magic!
Acid Base
KoolAid and similar drinks as convenient laboratory reagents: The weak acid-strong base titration of citric acid or malic acid
David Cash | Fri, 05/13/2022 - 08:06
The major component of a non-carbonated drink such as KoolAid or a similar beverage is usually a fruit acid, either citric acid or malic acid. The titratable acid (H+) concentration of such drinks has been found to be in the range of 0.02 to 0.04 M. A weak acid-strong base titration of these drinks with 0.1 M NaOH solution is feasible as a student exercise. The use of such drinks as reagents is safe, convenient, and inexpensive. Experiment instructions are included.
Can Alkaline Water Change Body pH?
Tom Kuntzleman | Mon, 05/09/2022 - 08:13
Can Alkaline Water Change the pH of your body? We use chemistry to put this claim to the test!
Water Tower Reservoir Analogy of a Buffer
Joseph Lomax | Sun, 05/01/2022 - 14:50
In this blog the author describes how three components of a water tower reservoir is analogous to an acid-base buffer system.
Is Chocolate Cake an Acid-Base Indicator? Testing a Student Claim
Josh Kenney | Mon, 02/28/2022 - 10:21
Recently, Josh Kenney took time from his regular scheduled chemistry curriculum to investigate a student's claim that chocolate cake was an acid-base indicator.
Food Dyes as Acid-Base Indicators
Tom Kuntzleman | Sun, 11/28/2021 - 10:51
Natural food dyes are being sold online and in stores that can be used as acid-base indicators. These dyes open up a host of possibilities for at-home and in-class. For example, these food dyes can be used as indicators in the quantitative titration of the Mg(OH)2 in milk of magnesia.
Thermal Paper as a Polarity and Acidity Detector
Dean Campbell | Thu, 10/28/2021 - 14:09
Thermal paper such as that used for point of sale receipts typically functions by darkening when exposed to heat. The pigment system used in this paper also darkens when exposed to solvents of intermediate polarity and acids. This enables thermal paper to be used as an inexpensive sort of indicator paper for a variety of demonstrations.
Recreating the Mary Poppins Colored Medicine Scene with Acid-Base Indicators
Nick Thomas | Mon, 09/27/2021 - 13:21
When introducing acid-base theory, the concept of indicators and their pH color changes is usually discussed. To illustrate some color transitions to students, a classroom demonstration has been devised based on a memorable scene from Disney’s 1964 movie Mary Poppins.
A Highly-Scaffolded Activity for Helping Students Generate Exam Review Questions and See Patterns in Quantitative Problem Solving
Rachel Barnard | Wed, 07/28/2021 - 12:30
Helping students develop abstract understanding is a universal goal. This article describes an activity that involves students developing and then solving novel quantitative chemistry problems following a MadLibsTM style framework.
Clover Color Chemistry
Tom Kuntzleman | Sat, 07/03/2021 - 16:07
Summertime means doing chemistry experiments with flowers found growing in the yard...