In honor of the 2014 International Year of Crystallography, the first Wisconsin Crystal Growing Competition was successfully organized and conducted. High school students from 26 schools across the state competed for prizes by growing large crystals of CuSO[subscript4]·5(H[subscript2]O). This paper describes how the event was planned and carried…

Although vacuum technology is essential to many aspects of modern physical and analytical chemistry, vacuum experiments are rarely the focus of undergraduate laboratories. We describe an experiment that introduces students to vacuum science and mass spectrometry. The students first assemble a vacuum system, including a mass spectrometer. While…

Many students probably know something about space from playing computer games or watching movies and TV shows. Teachers can expose them to the real thing by launching their experiments into near space on a weather balloon. This article describes how to use high-altitude ballooning (HAB) as a culminating project to a chemistry unit on experimental…

A floating bowling ball? No way! There is no better way to get students' attention and reinforce the need for conceptual understanding than with a discrepant event like this. Density is a central concept in chemistry and physical science from middle school to college. But often, particularly at the high school and college levels, we think students…

An initial goal of chemistry laboratory courses is almost always the "proper" use of laboratory resources including glassware and instruments. The proper use of glassware encompasses many topics, such as laboratory safety, technical proficiency, and recognition of function. However, as many chemical educators can attest, at both the K-12 and…

Describes a semistructured approach to the laboratory situation in organic chemistry. (Author/PEB)

Presents the problems and objectives of a course for the non-science major. Includes an outline of the course with the methods used to make the material meaningful. Examples are used to show how controversy, current events, readings, and general discussions can be used effectively. (DS)

This guide contains Parts III and IV of the students' guide to the first year of the three-year integrated biology, chemistry, and physics courses being prepared by the Portland Project Committee. Part III is titled "Energy and Work" and Part IV is titled "Ecology." (GR)

This second volume of UNESCO's series on New Trends in Chemistry Teaching presents papers originally published during 1966 and 1967 in leading chemistry-teaching periodicals of the world. The papers have been grouped in sections - structure, energetics and kinetics, acids and bases, organic chemistry, electrochemistry, chemistry and industry,…

Laboratory procedures are explained for taking benzoic acid and using it or one of its derivatives throughout an introductory lab course. Synthesis, purification, weight determination, identification of an acid, equilibrium constant, salt preparation, salt analysis, and salt solubility measurements are involved in the semester's experience. (DS)