Chemistry Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 7)

Crime Scene Chemistry: Determine the Identity of an Unknown Chemical Substance

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Picture this situation: An elderly woman is rushed to the hospital complaining of severe abdominal pain, tinnitus, and lethargy. Suspecting a drug interaction, the emergency room doctor starts questioning her. The doctor learns that the woman takes no medicines except aspirin for her arthritis. Since she cannot swallow pills well she takes a powdered form of aspirin which she buys in bulk and keeps in a plastic container in her kitchen next to her baking goods. She had just finished a day of… Read more

How Do You Get Heat from a Supercooled Solution? Explore the Chemistry Within Hand Warmers

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You're at the high school football game and it's getting pretty chilly as the sun goes down. You're determined to keep cheering for your team, but your hands are freezing—have you ever tried hand warmers? The chemistry within these little packets is pretty cool. Hand warmers provide a unique and fun way to study the chemistry of crystal formation and heat generation. By pressing a button in a pouch, which contains a supercooled solution, you start a rapid exothermic (heat-producing)… Read more

Making a Cell Phone Spectrophotometer

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

We encounter an amazing array of colors every day, from the greens of plants and the many colors of their flowers, to the pinkish blue of a sunset, to the artificial coloring in beverages. How do we perceive all of these colors? When light hits an object, some of that light is absorbed by the object, and the light that is not absorbed is what we see. In this science project, you will build a simple spectrophotometer from a cell phone and use it to investigate how visible light is absorbed by… Read more

Minds of Their Own: A Chemical Reaction that Changes, then Changes Back!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever seen a chemical reaction that makes a solution change color? Probably. But what about a solution that changes color and then changes back, not only once, but many times? Sounds pretty exotic! Whereas most chemical reactions only move in one direction from reactants (starting chemicals) to products, in these rare oscillating reactions, the reaction products appear and disappear for a number of cycles. Because the products are colored, the solution appears alternately blue, then… Read more

Remove Silver Tarnish with a Homemade Battery

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered why silver jewelry that starts out nice and shiny turns brownish-black and dull over time? The brownish-black stuff is called silver tarnish, and it is the result of a chemical reaction on the silver's surface. Luckily, there are many ways to clean tarnished silver and make it shiny again! In this science project, you will explore how to clean tarnished silver using electrochemistry. The electrochemical silver cleaning reaction requires aluminum and a salt solution. Your… Read more

From Dull to Dazzling: Using Pennies to Test How pH Affects Copper Corrosion

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Pennies are bright and shiny when they are new, but become quite dull with time. What causes such a drastic change? Oxygen in the air combines with the copper in the penny to form copper oxide, which makes the penny look dull and dingy. You can make the pennies look like new again by soaking them in water that is corrosive enough to strip off the copper oxide layer. It turns out, however, that the same process that makes the pennies shiny has bad consequences when it comes to copper pipes: it… Read more

Make Tie-Dye T-shirts with Permanent Markers

STEM Activity

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Have you ever made a tie-dyed t-shirt? It can be a lot of fun to dye a shirt in bright colors with spiraling designs (especially when it is done on a warm day outside to prevent indoor messes)! In this science activity, you will get to dye a t-shirt with your own colorful artwork using permanent markers. Along the way, you will find out how solubility helps your drawings leave beautiful designs on the fabric. Read more

Make Your Own Markers

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Do you ever wonder how markers are made? Where do all of those colors come from? Many of the colorful dyes we use come from plants. Could you create vibrant colored natural dyes? Could you turn these dyes into art supplies? You can! In this science project, become a scientist and engineer and make your own marker using homemade plant dye! Read more

Underwater Color Bursts

STEM Activity

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Summertime often brings beautiful fireworks displays. Whereas you normally look up into the sky to see fireworks, in this activity we will take the bursts of color underwater—with chemistry. Although it is not exactly the same as real fireworks, you will be amazed by the color explosions you will see. Curious about what that looks like? See for yourself in this activity! Read more

Using Green Chemistry to Understand Types of Chemical Reactions

Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th

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This lab discusses types of reactions and replaces traditional reaction experiments involving chemicals such as lead (II) nitrate, barium chloride, and silver nitrate with greener alternatives. This lab is designed to challenge students to identify types of chemical reactions and distinguish between those that use safer, less hazardous chemicals and those that are more dangerous. Students will make a choice as to which reaction they will perform using the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. They… Read more

Chemistry Projects, Lessons, Activities (186 results)

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