Described is an activity in which students determine the percent composition of zinc and copper in pennies minted before and after 1982. Students also use pennies to show the natural relative abundance of isotopes and to explain how the weighted atomic mass of the elements is determined. (KR)

Described is how the construction of a breathalyzer was used by high school students to focus on a variety of concepts and principles of science and mathematics. The procedure for constructing the breathalyzer, related material, and summary are included. (KR)

An approach that may be used to introduce the fundamental ideas of thermodynamics using a mathematical background with the knowledge of the behavior of matter is described. The physical background, conservation of energy, predicting the behavior of a system, and solving problems are topics of discussion. (KR)

Demonstrations in which glyoxal may be substituted for formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, are presented. An acid-base clock reaction and a copper mirror on the inside of a test tube are described. Directions for the demonstrations and safety precautions are included. (KR)

Activities that show students a practical use for chemistry using common items such as food products, pharmaceuticals, and household products as sources of chemical compounds are presented. The importance of having adequate resource materials available for students is emphasized. (KR)

Reviews literature dealing with International Teaching Assistants and provides a rationale for teaching them pronunciation using cognitive-based field-specific methods. An account of the application of such a teaching method to instruct Chinese and Korean chemistry teaching assistants at a North American University is also given. (55 references)…

Discussed are the objectives, program development, program operation, seminar format, topics, faculty participation, attendance, and pitfalls and problems associated with this seminar series. A list of selected titles is provided. (CW)

Describes an experiment where the gram-equivalent mass of an unknown metal is determined by reacting the metal with dilute hydrochloric acid and collecting the evolved gas over water. This simple, reliable experiment routinely gives results within 1% of the accepted value. (PR)

Describes four activities to analyze drinking water for its pH, hardness, turbidity, and conductivity. (MDH)

Investigates the effectiveness of two different types of interviews: one that embeds a concept map, and one that does not embed a concept map in order to elicit post-instructional understandings. Focuses on students' understandings of chlorofluorocarbons and their role in global atmospheric change. Contains 71 references. (DDR)

Presents an activity that explores the factors affecting the rate of a chemical reaction. Contains information for the instructor such as details about the chemistry of the reaction, answers to student questions, and sources of additional information and related activities. (DDR)

Presents an analogy used in introductory college chemistry to help students understand the procedure for determining the percentage purity of sodium carbonate. Employs a monetary analogy. (DDR)

Describes the Chemistry Visualization (ChemViz) Project, a Web venture maintained by the University of Illinois National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) that enables high school students to use computational chemistry as a technique for understanding abstract concepts. Discusses the evolution of computational chemistry and provides a…

Describes procedures for a demonstration that features an exploding can. This demonstration prompts students to critically analyze the release of energy in an exothermic reaction, the work done in such a reaction, and the enthalpy. (DDR)

Reviews the history of the acquisition and refinement of the chemical arts in the context of the use of metals by humans, the academic-industry connection in chemical education, curriculum history in chemistry, and the state of the chemistry teaching and learning environment. Contains 20 references. (DDR)