Steve Spangler Science
Halloween Dry Ice Secrets
Want to use dry ice in your classroom this Halloween but you're not sure how? A thorough packet of 13 dry ice activities showcases engaging ways to bring chemistry to life this October.
Royal Society of Chemistry
A Visible Activated Complex Experiment
When was the last time your class saw a catalyst in action? Chemistry scholars observe an activated complex during an engaging experiment. Through both color change and evolution of a gas, individuals gain insight into the...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Observing Chemical Changes—Microscale Chemistry
Want to add a wow factor to your current chemical changes lesson plan? Try a microscale experiment with colorful precipitates! Partnered learners conduct 10 single displacement reactions and record their observations.
American Chemical Society
Preparation and Combustion of Biodiesel
The United States is the world's largest producer of biofuel. During an in-class investigation, young scientists produce their own biodiesel. They burn a sample of it to determine the heat of combustion. Then they discuss the...
University of Georgia
Energy Content of Foods
Why do athletes load up on carbohydrates the evening before a competition? The lesson helps answer this question as it relates the type of food to the amount of energy it contains. After a discussion, scholars perform an experiment...
University of Georgia
What's So Special about Bottled Drinking Water?
Is artesian water designed to be better, or is it just from wells similar to those in the city of Artesium? This experiment looks at many different types of bottled waters, including artesian. Using a soap mixture, scholars test to see...
LABScI
Harmonic Motion: Pendulum Lab
Several times throughout history, groups of soldiers marching in rhythm across a suspension bridge have caused it to collapse. Scholars experiment with pendulums, resonance, and force to determine why this would happen. First, pupils...
LABScI
Projectiles: Target Practice
Angry Birds prepared them, but now pupils must prove their skills with projectiles! Scholars test different variables to determine which ones impact the distance the projectile flies. The experiment provides connections to kinetic and...
Integrated Physics and Chemistry
Law of Conservation of Matter
Does mass change during a chemical reaction? Demonstrate the Law of Conservation of Matter while encouraging class members to be creative with a two-part lesson. First, learners use Alka-Seltzer® tablets and water to demonstrate the...
Creative Chemistry
Displacement Reactions of Metals
Chemistry stars experiment with metals to observe reactivity with salt solutions. They test magnesium, zinc, iron, and copper by immersing them into different solutions and observing for changes. A separate set of data tables is...
Creative Chemistry
Comparing the Degree of Unsaturation of Margarine with that of Butter
Is butter better? In terms of saturation, young chemists find out! Using titration methods, they will compare the degree of saturation of butter with that of margarine. Knowing the unsaturation, they can make conclusions about the...
Creative Chemistry
What is the Percentage of Copper in "Copper" Coins?
Whether in the UK or the US, the mass of the copper in a copper alloy penny can be determined. If you are in the US, note that on the lab sheet, a penny is identified as a "1p piece." The penny is dissolved by young chemists in nitric...
Curated OER
Finding the Formula of Magnesium Oxide
Rather than simply matching up the ionic charges on paper, this exercise gets chemists into the lab to determine the chemical formula for magnesium oxide! If a known amount of magnesium is used, an oxidation reaction results in this...
Creative Chemistry
Displacement Reaction of the Halogens
This publisher has put out some terrific laboratory activities for your aspiring chemists! This edition uses displacement reactions to develop a reactivity series for three halogens. Not only do they explore the reactivity of bromine,...
Creative Chemistry
Simple Calorimetry to Find the Enthalpy of Combustion of Alcohols
Accomplished chemistry learners set up a calorimeter and measured the energy released by various alcohols: methanol, ethanol, and either propanol or butanol. Lab masters will first need to design their tables for recording data. Consider...
Creative Chemistry
Displacement Reactions of the Halogens
During this lab activity, chemists discover the reactivities of chlorine, bromine, and iodine as examples of the halogens. They use a displacement reaction as a test by adding other compounds and observing for a color change. The lab...
Serendip
Is Yeast Alive?
Through two investigations, life science learners determine whether or not yeast is alive. They perform tests for metabolism by providing sugar and observing if gas is produced as a byproduct. They incubate some of the sample for at...
Creative Chemistry
Finding the % of Fe2+ in Fe(NH4)2(SO4)2.xH2O and the value of x
Step-by-step procedures are outlined in the learning exercise and calculations for junior chemists to perform in their science journals. This laboratory exercise is intended for experienced chemistry learners.
Curated OER
A Solubility Curve for Potassium Nitrate
Step-by-step laboratory instructions are listed so that chemistry explorers can consider the solubility of potassium nitrate. They combined their results with other lab groups' results and then graphed the data to display the solubility...
Creative Chemistry
pH Curves and Indicators
Glimpse how pH changes during an acid-base titration by examining graphs. It contains graphs of pH changes and a chart summarizing what indicator to choose for different changes. This is not truly a worksheet, but a handy handout...
Creative Chemistry
Common Ions and Formulae of Ionic Compounds
This handout, produced in the UK, contains a chart of cations and anions. It explains how ionic compounds are formed and named. This concise and attractive handout can be helpful as a reference for your chemistry apprentices.
Creative Chemistry
Preparation of Crystalline Derivatives of Aldehydes and Ketones
Chemistry explorers prepare a crystalline derivative and find its melting point. Once they discover the melting point, they can identify whether the substance is pure or an aldehyde or ketone. This outstanding laboratory activity helps...
NASA
Mineral Mystery Experiment
One way to study something is to try to replicate it. Young scientists do just that as they use solutions to recreate mineral structures on a dwarf planet. They make solutions with different types of salt, evaporate them, and observe the...
Exploratorium
A Splash of Color - Is Pure Water Colorless?
What makes the ocean blue but a glass of ocean water nearly colorless? Investigators prepare tubes of water to examine the color of water. Scholars discover the relationship between light absorption, color variations, and water depth as...