Laboratory Assessments and Resources

Video Pre-Labs Improve the Lab Experience

Josh Kenney | Sun, 10/17/2021 - 14:49

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Teaching during COVID was challenging; however, a few positive results surprisingly emerged. For one, Josh Kenney filmed a small library of chemistry lab videos for use in virtual chemistry labs after his school switched to remote learning. At first, he wasn't sure if he would continue to use those videos when his district returned to in-person instruction until he discovered that they would make excellent pre-lab assignments.

The Extraction of Caffeine from Tea—with Several Important Outcomes

Michael Jansen | Wed, 10/13/2021 - 11:02

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Students use a micro-scale method to extract caffeine from tea using dichloromethane. At the end of the activity, the students' dochloromethane extractions are pooled; the solvent is distilled after class for re-use.

The Start of Another Year.....

Chad Husting | Mon, 09/06/2021 - 14:03

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Chad Husting explains how he used two hands on activities to get a sense of where his students were at within the realm of labwork and the scientific process as school began.

The Empirical Formula of Magnesium Oxide Lab: A Successful Failure, Next Steps—and an Important Lesson

Michael Jansen | Mon, 08/16/2021 - 16:01

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Michael Jansen reflects on a very common empirical formula lab that asks students to determine the empirical formula of Mg_xO_y. He then explains how he continues to use it as a "successful failure", how he demonstrates an alternate procedure and leads his students to an important lesson.

A Laboratory Experiment to Review Basic Chemistry Lab Techniques

Nick Thomas | Tue, 06/22/2021 - 08:13

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After a year or more of virtual laboratory instruction due to pandemic restrictions in many colleges, a simple experiment has been designed to provide students returning to in-person lab instruction with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience reviewing basic chemistry laboratory apparatus and techniques.

Lab Practicals, Final Exams and a Silver Lining to a Tough Year

Chad Husting | Wed, 06/16/2021 - 08:09

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A lab practical with an escape room story turned out to be a great final exam.

Weathering the Storm . . . of Chemistry Labs

Michael Jansen | Wed, 06/02/2021 - 16:21

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Good day, gentle readers:

Let me start by telling a story that, at first blush, has nothing to do with chemistry teaching.

Labs, Pandemics and the Future

Chad Husting | Wed, 04/21/2021 - 08:23

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Chad Husting shares a microscale Reactions Lab and outlines his goals and plans for labs in his classroom as he prepares for next school year.

Effect of Temperature on Chemical Equilibrium using Copper Complexes

Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 04/07/2021 - 11:00

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This post describes a simple way to generate blue, green, orange, and yellow copper complexes, and to use these complexes to introduce students to the effect of temperature on chemical equilibria. The protcol avoids the use of caustic agents, allowing the experiments to be conducted by students as a laboratory-based investigation.

Intermolecular Forces and FLIR Cameras

Chad Husting | Mon, 03/15/2021 - 10:23

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Infrared technology (FLIR Cameras) can be used to investigate intermolecular forces.