This Day in Science History - March 1 - Discovery of Radioactivity
Wednesday February 29, 2012
On March 1, 1896, Antoine Henri Becqurel discovered radioactivity. Earlier in the week he planned an experiment to expose sunlight to uranium and then store the uranium in a black ... Read More
What Happens If You Eat Silica Gel?
Wednesday February 29, 2012
Silica gel beads are found in those little packets accompanying shoes, clothing and some snacks. The packets contain round or granular bits of silica, which is called a gel but ... Read More
Make Sugar & String Easter Eggs
Wednesday February 29, 2012
Here's a fun Easter project for you: crystallize sugar onto string to make an Easter egg basket or a special holiday decoration. The project is similar to growing rock candy ... Read More
Element of the Day - Oxygen
Wednesday February 29, 2012
Oxygen is an element you can't live without, although too much could make you sick or dead. Oxygen is in the air you breathe, the water you drink, most rocks ... Read More
February 29 in Science History - Herman Hollerith
Tuesday February 28, 2012
February 29th is an extra day added to our calendar every four years. We do this because our trip around the Sun takes approximately 365 days and 6 hours. Over ... Read More
Can You Beat a Breathalyzer Test?
Tuesday February 28, 2012
A breathalyzer is a device used to determine blood alcohol concentration (BAC) by measuring the amount of alcohol in a sample of your breath. Have you ever wondered whether it's ... Read More
Understanding Reverse Osmosis
Tuesday February 28, 2012
Here's an e-mail I received about the common confusion regarding reverse osmosis:
"In your explanation of reverse osmosis you state 'Reverse osmosis occurs when the water is moved across the membrane ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 28 - Dord
Monday February 27, 2012
Dord is a noun in physics and chemistry that means density. At least, that's what it meant for nearly 5 years. On February 28, 1939, the word 'Dord' was discovered ... Read More
What Is the pH of the Stomach?
Monday February 27, 2012
Your stomach secretes hydrochloric acid, but the pH of your stomach isn't necessarily the same as the pH of the acid! The pH of your stomach varies, from 1-2 up ... Read More
Inkless Metal Pen Writes "Forever"
Monday February 27, 2012
Back when I took nuclear physics, we had access to lead bricks used for shielding. We used the bricks for other than their intended purpose, such as building blocks, paper ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 27 - Aspirin
Sunday February 26, 2012
February 27th could be considered aspirin's birthday. The process to make aspirin was patented in 1900 by Felix Hoffman on behalf of the German pharmaceutical company, Bayer. Hoffman's aspirin was ... Read More
Element of the Day - Carbon
Sunday February 26, 2012
Grow Bismuth Crystals
Sunday February 26, 2012
Are you looking for a gorgeous crystal to grow? Try bismuth crystals. Bismuth is a metal that forms interesting geometrical 'hopper' crystals that are rainbow-colored from the thin oxide layer ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 26 - Henry Dow
Saturday February 25, 2012
February 26th is Herbert Henry Dow's birthday. Dow was the founder of Dow Chemical Company, the third largest chemical company in the world. He began his business from an inexpensive ... Read More
How to Calculate the Mean (or your GPA)
Saturday February 25, 2012
One of the most useful calculations to be able to perform is determining the mean or average of a set of numbers. You'll use this calculation throughout science classes, but ... Read More
Water Science Magic Tricks
Saturday February 25, 2012
Arthur C. Clarke said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Science is behind many magic tricks. Fortunately, many of them do not require using technology, though explaining how ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 25 - How fast is a Svedberg?
Friday February 24, 2012
February 25th marks the passing of Theodor H. E. Svedberg. Svedberg was a Nobel Prize winning chemist who worked with colloids. He is also the namesake of a non-SI physical ... Read More
What Is a Scientific Variable?
Friday February 24, 2012
A variable is any factor that can be changed or controlled. In math, a variable is a quantity that can assume any value from a set of values. A scientific ... Read More
Black Crystal Recipe
Friday February 24, 2012
You can grow crystals in any color, including black. Black crystals look sort of like black diamonds or smoky quartz. You can control whether your black crystals will be translucent ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 24 - Inflammable Air
Thursday February 23, 2012
February 24th marks the passing of Henry Cavendish. Cavendish was a British natural philosopher that made meticulous studies of gases. He made extensive studies of the 'airs' he collected including ... Read More
Grow Maple Syrup Crystals
Thursday February 23, 2012
Maple syrup crystals are similar to rock candy. The crystals are composed primarily of sucrose, the same chemical in sugar crystals. However, maple syrup crystals contain small amounts of other ... Read More
Make a Fulgurite
Thursday February 23, 2012
What's a fulgurite? It is what you get when lightning (or meteor or an atomic blast or electricity from a damaged transformer) strikes sand. The silicate melts into the form ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 23 - Carl Gauss
Wednesday February 22, 2012
February 23rd marks the passing of Carl Friedrich Gauss. Gauss was a German physicist and mathematician known for many discoveries and applications. He made numerous contributions to electricity and magnetism, ... Read More
How Popcorn Pops
Wednesday February 22, 2012
You probably know part of the secret to why popcorn pops is that each kernel contains some water, but that isn't the whole story since other seeds contain water yet ... Read More
Mercury Beating Heart
Wednesday February 22, 2012
The Mercury Beating Heart is a popular chemistry demonstration/experiment in which a blob of mercury is made to pulsate, resembling a beating heart. The mercury beating heart requires only a ... Read More
Solubility Rules for Common Compounds
Wednesday February 22, 2012
The solubility rules for common compounds are useful for preparing solutions and planning separations based on solubility. While several factors affect solubility, you can use the general solubility rules for ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 22 - Johannes Brĝnsted
Tuesday February 21, 2012
February 22nd was a Danish chemist who developed a theory to explain acids and bases at the same time as English chemist Thomas Lowry. The Brĝnsted-Lowry theory defines acids as ... Read More
Preserving Crystals
Tuesday February 21, 2012
One of the most common questions I get asked about growing crystals is how to keep them after you have grown them. You may want to display your crystal or ... Read More
Haircolor Changes After You Die
Tuesday February 21, 2012
If you've ever seen a mummy in a museum, you might have thought the ancients went a little overboard with henna and other red dyes. While people have colored their ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 21 - Carl Dam and Vitamin K
Monday February 20, 2012
February 21st is Carl Henrik Dam's birthday. Dam was a Danish biochemist who discovered vitamin K. He was feeding chickens a cholesterol-free diet to find out if they needed cholesterol ... Read More
How to Make a Saturated Solution
Monday February 20, 2012
A saturated solution is one where the solute is as concentrated as it can get in the solution without precipitating. You may need to make a saturated solution for a ... Read More
Make a Clementine Candle - Easy Fire Project
Monday February 20, 2012
Did you know you can make a candle using a citrus fruit and olive oil, no wax or wick required? If you think about how a candle works, the wick ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 20 - Sertürner and Morphine
Sunday February 19, 2012
February 20th marks the passing of Friedrich Sertürner. Sertürner was a German pharmacist who was the first to isolate the active ingredient from opium poppies. The small crystals he extracted ... Read More
Special Effects Science
Sunday February 19, 2012
It isn't magic that makes movies look so cool. It's done using computer graphics and smoke and mirrors, which is a fancy name for "science." Take a look at the ... Read More
Yeast & Hydrogen Peroxide Volcano
Sunday February 19, 2012
The usual science project volcano is made using vinegar and baking soda, but there are other ways to make a chemical 'volcano' for fun or to illustrate an eruption. The ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 19 - Ferdinand Richter
Saturday February 18, 2012
February 19th is Ferdinand Reich's birthday. Reich was a German chemist who co-discovered the element indium with Hieronymus Richter. They identifed the element using the relatively new technique of spectroscopy. ... Read More
Hemagglutinin and Food Poisoning from Beans
Saturday February 18, 2012
Here's a fun fact: Eating soaked raw or undercooked beans can result in food poisoning. The culprit is a plant lectin known as phytohaemagglutinin or simply hemagglutinin, a chemical known ... Read More
Difference Between Hard Science and Soft Science
Saturday February 18, 2012
You may have heard the natural sciences (chemistry, physics, biology) called the hard sciences and the social sciences (history, political science) referred to as the soft sciences. Certain sciences, such ... Read More
Make Nitrocellulose or Flash Paper
Saturday February 18, 2012
If you're a chemistry enthusiast with an interest in fire or history (or both), you probably ought to know how to make your own nitrocellulose. Nitrocellulose is also known as ... Read More
Where To Buy Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate
Friday February 17, 2012
Copper sulfate pentahydrate (also known as copper sulphate pentahydrate or simply copper sulfate or copper sulphate) is the chemical used to grow bright blue copper sulfate crystals. It's easy to ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 18 - Stainless Steel
Friday February 17, 2012
February 18th is Harry Brearley's birthday. Brearley was an English metallurgist who discovered "rustless steel" or stainless steel. He was searching for a new steel to use to minimize corrosion ... Read More
Weight of Embalming Fluid - Did You Know?
Friday February 17, 2012
I was reading an MSN article about how, if you donate your body to science, it may be rejected if you are overweight. The problem is a combination of lack ... Read More
When Should You Buy High Octane Gas?
Friday February 17, 2012
Readers who follow me on Facebook may be aware that I have an unnatural love for my car and I love to fly. Both vehicles are good examples of cases ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 17 - Friedrich Beilstein and the Beilstein Database
Thursday February 16, 2012
February 17th is Friedrich Beilstein's birthday. Beilstein was the Russian chemist who originally wrote Handbuch der organischen Chemie or Handbook of Organic Chemistry.
This handbook was published in 1881 and originally ... Read More
Sulfuric Acid and Sugar Reaction
Thursday February 16, 2012
One of the most spectacular chemistry demonstrations is also one of the simplest. It's the dehydration of sugar (sucrose) with sulfuric acid. Basically, all you do to perform this demonstration ... Read More
Do Radioactive Elements Really Glow?
Thursday February 16, 2012
In books and movies you can tell when an element is radioactive because it glows. Movie radiation usually is an eerie green phosphorescent glow or sometimes a bright blue or ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 16 - Julius Thomsen
Wednesday February 15, 2012
February 16th is Julius Thomsen's birthday. Thomsen was a Dutch chemist who first identified a need for a period on the periodic table with a valence number of zero. His ... Read More
Wordless Wednesday - Rainbow in a Glass
Wednesday February 15, 2012
This pretty rainbow density column only requires sugar, water and food coloring!
How Haircoloring Works
Wednesday February 15, 2012
Over 75% of women and a growing percentage of men color their hair. Do you know how haircoloring works?
In the Beginning
The first safe commercial haircolor was created in 1909 by ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 15 - Galileo Galilei
Tuesday February 14, 2012
February 15th is Galileo Galilei's birthday. Galileo was an Italian natural philosopher who was key figure at the beginning of the scientific revolution and made several major contributions to its ... Read More
Can You Pass a 3rd Grade Science Test?
Tuesday February 14, 2012
Several readers wrote in about the 6th grade science quiz that I posted, commenting on the state of modern science education and about the questions that were missed most often. ... Read More
Keep Valentine's Day Flowers Fresh
Tuesday February 14, 2012
Presenting a bunch of wilted flowers on Valentine's Day may not convey the right message, unless that message runs along the lines of 'My love for you has faded, like ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 14 - Julius Nieuwland
Monday February 13, 2012
February 14th is the birthday of Julius Nieuwland. Nieuland was a Belgian priest and chemist who's research into the chemistry of acetylene directly led to the first commercially successful artificial ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 13 - Étienne Geoffroy
Sunday February 12, 2012
February 13th is Étienne François Geoffroy's birthday. Geoffroy was a French physician and chemist who was the first to arrange the known elements into a table based on their chemical ... Read More
How To Cook a Frozen Pizza on the Stove - Science Experiment
Sunday February 12, 2012
So, the other day I found myself in a hotel room with a frozen pizza and a stove, but no oven. I did what any hungry scientist would do. I ... Read More
Bounce a Rubber Egg
Sunday February 12, 2012
My daughter's favorite science project is making rubber eggs. You only need two ingredients for the rubber egg project, an egg and some vinegar. You'll get somewhat different results depending ... Read More
Will Carbon Monoxide Cause You to Buy Spoiled Meat?
Sunday February 12, 2012
Have you ever wondered why some meat starts looking brown after a few days in the meat case at the grocery store, while other meat stays fresh-looking longer? Some meat ... Read More
Really Getting Iron from Cereal
Sunday February 12, 2012
One of my more popular 'how-to' pages describes how you can get iron from cereal. I've amended that tutorial to give you helpful hints on how to make this activity ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 12 - Dirk Coster and Hafnium
Saturday February 11, 2012
February 12th marks the passing of Dirk Coster. Coster was a Dutch physicist who co-discovered the element hafnium with George Charles von Hevesy.
For many years, element 72 was a missing ... Read More
Make Purple Gold
Saturday February 11, 2012
I've been adding to my coverage of alchemy bit by bit and came across an alchemy/chemistry project over at The Alchemy Website that you might enjoy trying. It is making ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 11 - Josiah Gibbs
Friday February 10, 2012
February 11th is Josiah Gibbs' birthday. Gibbs was an American chemist who didn't get much recognition for his work until after his death. He began his career with an engineering ... Read More
Real Periodic Table of Elements
Friday February 10, 2012
The periodic table organizes the chemical elements according to increasing atomic number, grouped by recurring or periodic properties. All periodic tables include the symbol, atomic number and atomic weight for ... Read More
10 Iodine Facts
Friday February 10, 2012
Here's an iodine fact that may be useful to you someday. While iodine is essential for proper nutrition, some people develop an allergy to the element. Usually this manifests as ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 10 - Saccharine Discovery
Thursday February 9, 2012
February 10th is Ira Remsen's birthday. Remsen was an American chemist and educator who brought many German chemical techniques to America and founded the chemistry department at Johns Hopkins University. ... Read More
What Is in Liquid Smoke?
Thursday February 9, 2012
Liquid smoke is a product you can buy at the grocery store to add a smoky barbeque flavor to food. It can also be used as a food preservative. It ... Read More
Measurement Study Guide - Learn the Basics of Measurements and Standards
Thursday February 9, 2012
Measurement is a major part of the scientific method. Observation and experimentation would be impossible without some agreed upon standard of measurement.
The Measurement and Standard Study Guide is a study ... Read More
Make a pH Rainbow Wand
Thursday February 9, 2012
Here's an easy and colorful chemistry demonstration for you. Take a long glass tube and fill it with Universal Indicator solution. Add a few drops of 0.02M HCl to one ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 9 - US Weather Bureau
Thursday February 9, 2012
February 9th is the birthday of the United States Weather Bureau. Professor Lapham of Milwaukee was instrumental in raising awareness for a need for the government to pay attention to ... Read More
Make pH Paper Test Strips
Wednesday February 8, 2012
You can use red cabbage pH indicator to make your own pH paper test strips. It's simple to do and makes it much easier to test the pH of liquids ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 8 - Dmitri Mendeleev
Tuesday February 7, 2012
February 8th is Dmitri Mendeleev's birthday. Most people associate Mendeleev the first accepted periodic table of the elements. His table ordered the elements by increasing atomic weight where columns of ... Read More
Glow in the Dark Slime Instructions
Tuesday February 7, 2012
When I write up a project, there are two sets of instructions. There are the cover-all-the-bases instructions. where I tell you all the different ways to make something. Then there ... Read More
What Do Whales Drink?
Monday February 6, 2012
Have you ever wondered what whales drink?
You probably know all animals require water to live. Humans drink fresh water and get water from the foods we eat. If we eat ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 7 - Periodic Table and Law of Octaves
Monday February 6, 2012
February 7, 1863 was the day John Newlands published what would be known as "The Law of Octaves". Newlands discovered if he ordered the known elements by increasing atomic weights, ... Read More
Hot and Cold Valentine Chemistry Demonstration
Monday February 6, 2012
Here's a fun and easy Valentine's Day chemistry demonstration. Take a pink liquid, heat it up and watch it turn colorless. Upon cooling, the color of the liquid will return ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 6 - Joseph Priestley
Sunday February 5, 2012
February 6th marks the passing of Joseph Priestley. Priestley was an English theologian and natural philosopher who is best known with this experimental works with gases or "airs". He was ... Read More
Quick Emulsifier Chemistry Demonstration
Sunday February 5, 2012
Soap is good at cleaning because it acts as an emulsifier, enabling one liquid to disperse into another immiscible liquid. While oil (which attracts dirt) doesn't naturally mix with water, ... Read More
How Febreze Works
Sunday February 5, 2012
The other day I got frozen tiny shrimp to feed the jellyfish and pipefish in my aquarium. I used my fingers to drop a pinchful of shrimp into the water, ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 5 - Indiana Pi Law
Saturday February 4, 2012
On February 5, 1897, the Indiana General Assembly voted unanimously to pass a bill set the value of π equal to 3.2. The bill actually dealt with issues behind an ... Read More
Xylitol May Be Deadly to Dogs
Saturday February 4, 2012
Many dog owners are aware that chocolate, coffee, and grapes are toxic to dogs, but did you know about the risk from ingesting the common sweetener, xylitol? Xylitol is a ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 4 - Friedrich Hund and Hund's Rule
Friday February 3, 2012
February 4th is Friedrich Hund's birthday. Hund was a German physicist who introduced a method to use molecular orbitals to determine electron structure of molecules and bonds. Hund's rules are ... Read More
Friday Fire Project - Fire Magic Tricks
Friday February 3, 2012
If one fire project is good, then more is better, right? I grouped together the fire projects that could be used as fire magic tricks, so you can play with ... Read More
Color Change Thermometer Project
Friday February 3, 2012
Here's a color change project that will give you a liquid that fluctuates between pink and blue as the temperature changes.
What You Need
beaker or attractive clear container
3 g cobalt(II) chloride ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 3 - Space Race Firsts
Thursday February 2, 2012
February 3rd, 1966 was a day for two 'firsts' during the Space Race between the United States and Soviet Union. The United States launched the first meteorological satellite, the ESSA-1. ... Read More
How to Make Blue Fire
Thursday February 2, 2012
Blue fire is extremely easy to make. Here are some ways you can make blue fire yourself.
Natural Blue Fire
The easiest way to make blue fire is to burn a chemical ... Read More
This Day in Science History - February 2 - Ethyl Gasoline
Wednesday February 1, 2012
On February 2, 1923, "Ethyl" gasoline went on sale at a Dayton, Ohio service station. The Ethyl brand gasoline promised to eliminate a persistent detonation problem with engines of the ... Read More
Do Bubbles Pop from the Top or the Bottom?
Wednesday February 1, 2012
... or do they pop from the side or is it random? A soap bubble consists of a thin layer of water trapped between two layers of soap molecules. The ... Read More
Why People Mix Bleach and Vinegar
Wednesday February 1, 2012
If mixing bleach and vinegar releases toxic chlorine gas, then why do people do it? There are two answers to this question. The first answer is that vinegar lowers the ... Read More
Turn Water Into Gold - Alchemy Project
Wednesday February 1, 2012
One of the quests of the ancient alchemists (and possibly modern ones as well) was to transmute a base material into gold. While it's possible to turn lead into gold ... Read More