This demonstration lays the foundation for what science is all about: proper experiments, properly carried out, properly interpreted.
This short activity uses Elmer’s Disappearing Purple Glue as an interactive introduction to acid-base indicators.
Finding demos related to nuclear chemistry that are interesting, relevant, and manageable is challenging. Melanie Harvey is both a chemistry professor and a ceramic artist. Using Fiestaware to talk about the historical use of radioisotopes is one of her favorite demonstrations.
This flipbook activity helps students to identify and solve problems involving empirical formulas, molecular formulas and percent composition while also helping them see how they are related to each other.
Atomic theory is a common topic throughout any introductory chemistry course. It is likely that Rutherford’s gold foil experiment gets at least some attention in your course. This simple activity gives students an opportunity to replicate Rutherford’s experiment through an analogy experiment that may allow for easier conceptualization of the experiment itself and provide additional support for model development.
Many novice students struggle to see elements' valence electron configuration trends across the rows and columns on the periodic table. There are many diagrams and explanations available as resources for students however, a deeper understanding may be possible when students discover these trends independently through a game called Electron Configuration Battleship.
The Golden Drain is a case study developed by Sharma and Wolfgang where students work to uncover a company’s lost revenue due to the error of a new employee.
This classroom activity challenges students to figure out the volume of gaseous carbon dioxide emitted from the combustion of 1 gallon of gasoline fuel.
If a student “gets the wrong answer” while performing mole conversions, it can be difficult (for both student and the teacher) to discern where an error was made. Inevitably sometime toward the beginning of learning these conversions, students can become overly confident, plugging numbers in without thinking about whether they are sensical. This card set slows students down to think about the order and purpose of each of the steps in mole conversions.
Observing the floating and sinking behavior of diet and sugared sodas is a classic chemistry demonstration. Learn how to perform this experiment as a quantitative lab that can be accomplished as an at-home activity!
