Chemistry

How can we get students to “see” the extremely small size of an atom? In this experiment, students measure the mass of the zinc coating on a piece of galvanized iron by reacting the metal with hydrochloric acid. Only the zinc, not the underlying iron...

Rutherford's discovery of the nucleus has been described as a “black box” experiment. In order to solve the structure of the atom, Rutherford had to “unlock” the box. Rutherford shot alpha particles at atoms in a piece of gold foil and observed the s...

The electron, an elementary particle of matter, has a negative charge. Exactly how much electrical charge does one electron have? In the early twentieth century, Robert Millikan quantified the charge of a single electron through a series of carefully...

Model the difficult concepts of probability and electron structure by having students “roll the dice.” In this activity, the simple roll of the dice is used to simulate the results of complex wave mechanical calculations for the energy of the 1s elec...

Help students understand the basics of electron structure with this simple and straightforward lab activity. In this activity, 15 workstation “atoms” are constructed, each consisting of an energy level diagram, a symbol for a neutral atom or ion, and...

In order for students to understand the fundamentals of chemistry, they must start small. What makes up an atom? Why is each element unique? What constitutes an isotope? How are ions formed? In this activity, 18 workstations are created, each contain...