2005 Chemistry Features...
12/27/05 - Famous Chemists Hangman Game
How well do you know your history? This fun and educational hangman game draws on the names of scientists who made important contributions to the field of chemistry.
12/21/05 - Make Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Make liquid nitrogen ice cream as a cool cryogenics or phase change demonstration or for a quick and tasty treat.
12/19/05 - Science Pictures
This is an image gallery of science photographs and images. Most of the images relate to chemistry, though there are many which apply to science in general or are specific to biology, physics, or medicine.
12/19/05 - Science Lab Safety Signs
Science labs, particularly chemistry labs, have a lot of safety signs. This is a collection of public domain images you can use to learn what the different symbols mean or to construct signs for your own lab.
11/30/05 - Christmas Tree Preservative Recipe
Is there a secret special ingredient in those little packets of floral preservative? No! It's easy and economical to make your own Christmas tree or cut flower preservative, using ingredients found at home.
11/24/05 - Element Mnemonic Device
Here's a handy mnemonic device to help memorize the symbols and sequence of the first nine elements in the periodic table.
11/22/05 - Blue Bottle Color Change Demonstration
Learn how to perform the blue bottle chemistry demonstration, in which a blue liquid becomes clear, then returns to blue when swirled around. Instructions are also given for red -> clear -> red and green -> red -> green reactions.
11/15/05 - Element Photographs
Are you wondering what cadmium and indium look like? Here's an alphabetical index of photographs of the elements.
11/08/05 - Rate of Radioactive Decay
Work through an example chemistry problem on the rate of radioactive decay, a type of first order rate reaction.
11/02/05 - Chemistry Scavenger Hunt
A chemistry scavenger hunt is an educational game where you find items that match a description. It's a great way to learn key concepts. Here's a list of chemistry scavenger hunt clues and items that match.
10/23/05 - Mentos & Diet Soda Chemical Volcano
Candies and diet soda together can make a chemical 'volcano' with an eruption several feet high. If the normal baking soda volcano is too tame for you, give this project a try.
10/19/05 - Make a Bouncing Polymer Ball
Use chemistry to make a bouncing polymer ball, then alter the procedure to see the effect the changes have on the charactertistics of the bouncing ball.
10/12/05 - Interview: Bill Carroll, President - The American Chemical Society
ACS President Bill Carroll chats about his interest in chemistry, Chemistry Week 2005, and how chemistry impacts our daily lives in this exclusive interview with Stephanie Holbrook.
10/11/05 - How to Synthesize Aspirin - Acetylsalicylic Acid
Learn how to synthesize aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid, from salicyclic acid. Get information about the history of aspirin, the effects of salicylates, and see the structures of the reactants.
10/06/05 - How to Write a Bibliography for a Science Fair Project
Learn how to cite your sources for a science fair project. See examples for books, online references, and conversations.
10/04/05 - Science Fair Project Help
Science fair projects are a great way to learn about experimentation, the scientific method, and science concepts. However, it can be hard to find an idea or get answers to questions once you get started. Here is a collection of resources to give your project the winning edge.
09/27/05 - Laboratory Safety Quiz
Are you a safe scientist or a menace to yourself and others in the chemistry lab? Here's a ten question quiz you can take to test yourself. It's sarcastic and maybe even a little mean, but... some accidents just shouldn't happen.
09/14/05 - History of Matches
Fire may have been around since the dawn of civilization, but matches are a fairly recent invention. Learn about the somewhat gruesome history of the chemical or friction match and how antimony and phosphorus are used to start fire.
09/06/05 - What Is Radioactivity?
Learn about natural and induced radioactivity and alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.
08/31/05 - What Is a Neutron Bomb?
Learn what a neutron bomb is, how it works, and about a neutron bomb's strategic uses.
08/24/05 - Crystal Growing Quiz
Are you an ace at growing your own crystals? Test your knowledge about seed crystals, the factors that affect crystal growth, and crystal types with this fun multiple choice quiz.
08/16/05 - Absinthe Chemistry
The liqueur absinthe has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity, as countries continue to lift the ban on making and drinking the green wormwood and anise-flavored spirit. Learn about the history of the liqueur, why it was banned, a bit about its chemistry, how to make absinthe, and how to drink it.
08/04/05 - How to Perform a Recrystallization
Recrystallization is a laboratory technique used to purify a sample based on the different solubilites of its components. Learn how to perform a recrystallization and get tips on how to avoid common problems and improve your product yield.
07/26/05 - Why Does Ice Float?
Learn about density and hydrogen bonding to understand why ice floats on water.
07/19/05 - How to Make Moonshine
Moonshine is a liquor made from fermented corn. Learn about distillation, condensation, and how this alcoholic beverage is made.
07/05/05 - How Pregnancy Tests Work
Learn how blood tests and home pregnancy urine tests work, how early they can be used, and some reasons for false positive and negative test results.
06/28/05 - Molecule Hangman Game
This hangman game draws on names of molecules from the Molecular Structures Library. Possible chemicals include amino acids, nucleic acids, chemical warfare agents, pesticides, molecules found in food, and other names from the libary list.
06/14/05 - Science Hangman Game
Here's a hangman game, just for fun, using scientific terms, types of sciences, and names of scientists from all disciplines. It's a very broad category. Can you guess the word in time?
06/08/05 - How to Make Liquid Magnets - Synthesize Ferrofluid
Make your own ferrofluid, or liquid magnet, which can be used with a magnet to change the liquid's density and to form spikes and other amazing shapes.
06/02/05 - Caffeine Chemistry
Learn about the chemical and biological properties of caffeine, the methylxanthine stimulant found in coffee and other foods.
05/17/05 - Groups of Elements - Periodic Table
Elements can be categorized according to their similar properties. Here's a periodic table that organizes the elements according to groups. Click an element symbol and learn about the group to which it belongs.
05/11/05 - What Is Activated Charcoal and How Does it Work?
Activated charcoal isn't the same as your average barbeque briquette! It's a special type of carbon. Learn what activated charcoal is and why it is used in filters and medicines.
05/04/05 - Atom Hangman Game
All of the words in this hangman game relate to atoms or parts of atoms. It's a fun and easy way to test your grasp of some elementary chemistry terms and concepts.
04/26/05 - Basics of Acids and Bases Quiz
How well do you understand the basic concepts of acids, bases, and pH? Here's a ten question multiple choice and true/false quiz you can take to test yourself.
04/12/05 - Carbon 14 Dating
Here's a worked example of the calculation for carbon 14 dating of organic material. The same principle can be applied to other isotopic ratios used to estimate age.
03/29/05 - Grow Table Salt or Sodium Chloride Crystals
It's easy to grow your own table salt or sodium chloride crystals. All it takes is salt and boiling water. One method even yields crystals within a few hours. Another method can yield perfect cubic crystals.
03/22/05 - Can a Candle Burn in Zero Gravity?
Can a candle burn in the absence of gravity? Here's the answer to this frequently asked question about fire.
03/16/05 - What Elements Are Named After People?
Here's an alphabetical list of element eponyms, or chemical elements named after people.
03/08/05 - If civilization ended today, could I still make beer?
Not all frequently-asked chemistry questions involve equations and complex chemical reactions. When you get right down to it, chemistry plays a big role in everyday existence. For instance, consider the brewing of beer, stout, ale, and lager. If modern society ended, do you think you would have what it takes to make your own beer?
03/01/05 - Chemistry Glossary Update
The chemistry glossary has been updated with definitions for addition polymer, addition reaction, alcohol, aldehyde, alkaline, alkaline earth metal, alkyl group, allotrope, alloy, and alpha particle.
02/22/05 - Scientific Method Quiz
Do you really understand what the scientific method is and how to apply it? Here's a ten question multiple choice quiz you can take to test your knowledge.
02/08/05 - What is the State of Matter of Fire or Flame?
Is a flame a liquid, solid, or gas? Learn the answer to this question and get information about the chemistry of fire.
02/01/05 - Effect of Acids and Bases on the Browning of Apples
Perform an experiment to observe the effects of acids, bases, and water on the rate of browning of cut apples or other produce.
01/24/05 - Why Do Cut Apples Turn Brown?
Learn why apples, pears, bananas, potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables turn brown when they are cut or bruised.
01/10/05 - How to Grow Epsom Salt Crystals
Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) crystals are safe to handle, easy to grow, and form quickly. Here's what you need to know to make your own crystals.
01/03/05 - Rock & Mineral Chemistry Quiz
Do you know about the chemistry of rocks and minerals? Here's a ten question quiz you can take to test your knowledge.
