Blogs

ChemEd X contributors offer their ideas and opinions on a broad spectrum of topics pertaining to chemical education.

Blogs at ChemEd X reflect the opinions of the contributors and are open to comments. Only selected contributors blog at ChemEd X. If you would like to blog regularly at ChemEd X, please use our Contribution form to request an invitation to do so from one of our editors.

by Dean Campbell
Mon, 03/21/2022 - 20:54

For your enjoyment, we present lists of chemically-related words that end in the letters “-cation” but do not actually refer to the positively-charged chemical species. The lists are available for download in the Supporting Information.

Recent activity: 1 year 2 months ago
by Chad Husting
Sat, 03/19/2022 - 09:34

Chad Husting tries out some micro-scale labs. 

 

Recent activity: 2 years 12 months ago
by Josh Kenney
Fri, 03/04/2022 - 18:50

Practice problem answer keys that provide correct and incorrect answers increase student metacognition and lead to more thorough learning.

Comments: 2
Recent activity: 1 year 2 months ago
by Michael Jansen
Fri, 03/04/2022 - 09:50
Michael Jansen typically teaches his students to solve qualitative chemical equilibrium problems using an ICE table but once students have mastered this skill, he introduces LeChâtelier’s Principle and a modified quantitative ICE table.
Recent activity: 3 years 1 week ago
by Melissa Hemling
Tue, 03/01/2022 - 08:03

Bring the fun of the viral word game "Wordle" into the chemistry classroom!

Comments: 8
Recent activity: 1 year 2 months ago
by 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. 

Recent activity: 1 year 2 months ago
by Joseph Lomax
Sun, 02/27/2022 - 19:55

In two connected ways, thermodynamics describes how both physical or chemical processes spontaneously trend towards equilibrium. This post is concerned with showing how free energy (ΔGrxn) changes as the reaction quotient (Q) changes as both trend towards the special condition, equilibrium, described by the constant K.

 

Recent activity: 1 year 2 months ago
by Tom Kuntzleman
Tue, 02/22/2022 - 18:21

Tom Kuntzleman conducts a safer "mercury-like" beating heart experiment with an added splash of gratefulness.

Recent activity: 9 months 1 week ago
by Kathleen Carrigan
Mon, 02/21/2022 - 20:02

How to build confidence in your students and minimize aggression.

Recent activity: 1 year 2 months ago
by Dean Campbell
Thu, 02/10/2022 - 08:42

Balloons that inflate using carbon dioxide produced from the reaction of citric acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate can be used to demonstrate a number of aspects of chemistry. Gas laws were used with the balloons to illustrate limiting reactants, molar mass of gases, and rockets. The endothermic reaction in the balloon was visualized with an infrared camera, and the Green Chemistry aspects of these balloons were considered.

Recent activity: 1 year 2 months ago