Chemistry

Water always boils at 100 oC, right? Not always! Water boils at 100 oC at 1 atmosphere of pressure. Every liquid boils at the temperature at which its vapor pressure equals the pressure above its surface. Change the pressure and the required boiling ...

Phase changes such as melting and evaporation can be very “moving” events when molecules are the size of balls! A tub-full of jumbo rubber balls is a perfect demonstration device for comparing the energy and motion of molecules in the solid, liquid, ...

The ultimate in discrepant events. Show students that you can boil water by cooling it! Fill the specially designed flask one-third full with water. Bring the water to a boil and then remove the flask from the heat. Place a rubber stopper fitted with...

The perfect introductory activity to teach elements, compounds, and mixtures! What does an element look like? How is an element different from a compound? Bulk samples of an element, a compound, and a mixture may look similar. When we ask students to...

Students will be mesmerized by watching the layers in these bottles move and separate as they are turned upside-down, swirled, and shaken. Begin your discussion on density by displaying one bottle in front of the class. Later in the week, switch the ...

Molecules are moving! What proof is there for this incredible statement, and what factors influence the kinetic energy of moving molecules? Demonstrate the motion of invisible ammonia and hydrochloric acid gas molecules by their colorful reactions wi...

Have you ever had melted wax drip on you? It's hot! When melted wax solidifies, enough heat may be released to cause severe skin burns. Find out how much heat is released when melted wax solidifies with this three-part demonstration. Measure the temp...

Many of the experiments that led 20th century scientists to discover the nature of the atom involved indirect observation and inference. During the early 1900s, scientists such as J. J. Thomson and Ernest Rutherford were faced with the challenge to d...

A free-flowing U-shaped tube contains what appears to be a homogenous blue liquid, yet the liquid levels in the sides of the tube are unequal. No tricks involved-just density! This simple demonstration is guaranteed to heighten student interest on th...

Molecules can't be seen, but we can see the forces between molecules: Use this set of four demonstrations to show students what happens when molecules attract each other-or don't!• Floating Oil Droplet- The difference in densities of water and ethyl ...

The kinetic-molecular theory may be summarized in one simple phrase—molecules in motion! The demonstrations in this kit provide visual evidence for this important concept. Visualizing molecules in motion helps students understand and compare the kine...

50 + 50 doesn’t always equal 100! Many students have heard that matter is not created or destroyed. This concept relates to mass but not to volume or moles. Show students that adding two identical volumes does not always give twice the volume when co...

Make Avogadro proud by using his law to determine the molar mass of any gas, from helium to sulfur hexaflouride. The gas syringe and sampling apparatus allows you to sample and weigh any pure gas in less than one minute. The molar mass of the gas can...

Help your students visualize the length of a single molecule. First, the surface of water is dusted with lycopodium powder, then a drop of oleic acid solution is placed directly in the center. The oleic acid will spread out in a circle, displacing th...

Help your students visualize molecular motion concepts with this dramatic demonstration device. Just pour the simulated molecules (BBs) into the clear acrylic chamber and focus it on your classroom overhead projector. By varying the number of molecul...

Except for a very few elements, no atoms of any element have the atomic mass listed in the periodic table. This is due to the existence of isotopes. In 1900, the periodic table numbered 80 or so elements, arranged in rows and columns by increasing at...

A great demonstration to introduce the difference between diamagnetic, paramagnetic and ferromagnetic substances. In this unique demonstration setup, four different metal salts are placed in chambers and suspended from dowel rods. A strong magnet is ...

Create a beautiful, red, white and blue density column to demonstrate the salting-out effect, relative density, and the miscibility of organic solvents with water. The density column contains three liquid layers consisting of toluene, methyl alcohol,...

Is it possible to pour a gas? Set up the specially designed ramp with equally spaced candles. Add a clear liquid to the beaker, hold the beaker at the top of the ramp, and pour the invisible contents. One by one the candles are snuffed out! The beake...

Quickly and easily demonstrate the remarkable properties of surface tension, air pressure, and cohesion using a simple jar. Place a laminated card over the screen-covered mouth of a jar. Flip the jar over and observe as the card stays in place. Remov...

Set a beaker in another, pour in pale yellow oil and the beaker disappears! In this entertaining demonstration of refractive index, show your students that there's more to light travel than “meets the eye.” By matching the index of refraction of glas...

The discovery of the photoelectric effect opened the door to understanding electron structure. Explaining how it proves the “quantum” energy of light has never been easy, however-until now! Demonstrate the photoelectric effect using a zinc plate atta...

Science includes observation that sparks curiosity. If a full water bottle has three outlets—one at the top, one in the middle and one near the bottom will the water flow from each outlet in the same manner? The Water Spouts demonstration is a visual...

Up, Up, and Away-Fill the sky with colorful hot air balloons as you teach the properties of gas. Each student group will construct and launch their own giant hot air balloon. Students will learn how hot air balloons lift from the ground, stay afloat ...

Chemistry teachers-now you can have your own low-cost video camera to show chemical demonstrations, experiments and close-ups of exciting chemistry phenomena. How many times have you shown students a demonstration only to wish you could “macrosize it...