Thermochemical Analysis of the Devil's Milkshake
Tom Kuntzleman | Wed, 10/28/2020 - 14:14
Learn how to thermochemically analyze the Devil's Milkshake chemical demonstration - just in time for Halloween!
Thermochemistry
Heat, The Ocean, and Climate Change
Tom Kuntzleman | Fri, 10/16/2020 - 10:14
Learn a simple way to relate the heat equation (Q = mc∆T ) to climate change.
An Experimental Demonstration of Hess's Law
Philip Penketh | Sun, 08/02/2020 - 10:03
The application of Hess's Law frequently presents students with conceptual problems. This series of experiments confirms Hess's Law and offers a robust understanding of this principle. This can be done as a demo completed by the teacher or as a lab with groups of students.
Seeing Chemistry in a Different Light—FLIR Thermal Cameras in the Classroom
Ben Meacham | Wed, 01/15/2020 - 10:43
Before trying to use a piece of equipment, it’s worthwhile to have a basic understanding of how it works. To put it simply, FLIR cameras primarily deal with the infrared part of the EMR spectrum. The camera detects infrared energy and converts it into an electrical signal, which is then processed to produce a thermal image on a video monitor.
Metabolic Marvels of Bear Hibernation- Part 2
Scott Donnelly | Mon, 12/02/2019 - 15:52
The post-Thanksgiving excessive calorie-consumption 'blues' have arrived. How is it possible to eat so much? For a bear, it's easy. Easy as pie. Bears are champion eaters, spending about half the year eating non-stop in preparation for winter's foodless landscape. How can this calorie consumption observation about the bear world be used to teach certain chemistry concepts routinely covered? This post includes discussion and two classroom activities about the following common general chemistry topics/concepts- thermochemistry, unit conversions, and interpretation of numerical data. Enjoy...
Paraffin Wax - an Exothermic Reaction: Caution
Chad Husting | Sun, 08/18/2019 - 11:12
I met some amazing teachers at Chem Ed 2019. Two of these teachers are Yvonne Clifford and Sharon Geyer who ran a workshop about chemical demonstrations. One in particular caught my attention. The demonstration was an exothermic process with paraffin wax. Here is the demonstration.
AACT Science Coaches
Lauren Stewart | Tue, 04/30/2019 - 08:03
I was excited for the opportunity but I never thought my science coach would be interested in developing and executing lessons with me. Luckily for me, my experience ended up being nothing like what I expected. You can apply for this experience too. The deadline to apply for Science Coaches for the 2019–2020 school year is September 1, 2019.
Gibbs Free Energy Analogy
Kristen Drury | Thu, 04/04/2019 - 08:37
A common topic in chemistry discussion groups and forums is about the use of the terms “spontaneous reaction” versus “thermodynamic favorability”. This is a new activity for chemistry students who struggle with the correlation between changes in enthalpy, temperature, entropy, and the Gibbs free energy of a system; which relies on an analogy that most students will be familiar with.
Boltzmann Bucks—Helping Students Conceptualize Entropy
Ben Meacham | Tue, 01/29/2019 - 16:43
If you are looking to go beyond using traditional, arguably misleading, definitions of entropy involving “disorder” and “messy bedroom” analogies, the Boltzmann Bucks game fits the bill. The game, pulled from a Journal of Chemical Education article, provides a wonderful opportunity for students to more accurately conceptualize entropy.
Solution to Chemical Mystery #11: Too Hot to Boil?
Tom Kuntzleman | Tue, 03/06/2018 - 09:26
The solution to Chemical Mystery #11, which involves the Leidenfrost Effect, is presented.