redox

The inaugural ChemEd X Journal Club Meeting was held virtually on April 7, 2022 to discuss the article, "Curricular Materials on the Chemistry of Pottery, Including Thermodynamic Calculations for Redox Reactions in the 3-Stage Firing Process of Athenian Black- and Red-Figure Vases Produced from the Sixth-Fourth Centuries BCE" (Journal of Chemical

The oxidation of reducing sugars by silver ions to form a silver mirror is a classic chemistry experiment. In this experiment, sugars that contain aldehyde functional groups are reacted with an ammonia-silver complex to form silver metal, which forms a shiny metallic mirror:

I recently shared some simple experiments using magnets and coins that connect to the 2019 National Chemistry Week (NCW) theme, “Marvelous Metals!”¹ Because coins are familiar items, made of metal, and so very easy to obtain, I think doing experiments with coins is a great idea for NCW 2019!

Did you know there is a simple test you can do to see if an alkaline battery is fresh or dead?^1,2 All you need to do is bounce the bottom of a battery onto a hard, flat surface. If the battery is fresh it won’t bounce very well. If the battery is dead, it will bounce very high. Check it out in the video.³

I found a version of this demonstration online a couple of years ago. I admit, when I first tried it with my class it was mostly for a crowd pleaser to demonstrate the activity series of metals, but I then became very intrigued by the processes occurring.

Looking for an easy, hands-on experiment to use in your classroom at the beginning of the school year? In the June, 2013 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education, Isao Ikemoto and Kouichi Saitou describe a simple experiment to demonstrate the electrolytic dissolution of copper ions from a copper electrode.