An experienced chemistry professor used to say that it took about one explosion per week to maintain college students' attention in chemistry lectures. At that rate, we'd get in pretty big trouble with a lot of parents and teachers! Don't worry, our list of chemistry science and engineering projects still has lots of bubbles, fizzes, bangs, and color changes for you to explore.
A solution consists of a solute dissolved in a solvent. A solution is saturated when no additional solute will dissolve in it. Can a saturated solution of sodium chloride dissolve any Epsom salts? Can a saturated solution of Epsom salts dissolve any sodium chloride? How does solubility vary with temperature? How does solubility vary with the surface area of the solute? Design experiments to find out! (Gardner, 1999, 16-17, Stretton, 2004)
Read more
The rates of some chemical reactions can actually be increased by adding light. Light sometimes interacts with one or more of the chemicals and provides an "energy boost" that dramatically speeds up a normally slow reaction. In this photochemistry science project, you will experiment with the effect of light on a chemical reaction. The reaction converts iodine, which forms a dark-orange solution, to iodide, which is colorless!
Read more
Chem_p095
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
An introductory chemistry class.
Material Availability
You will need basic lab equipment, which can be ordered online. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Gloves and safety goggles are required. Oxalic acid is toxic and an irritant. Avoid breathing oxalic acid dust and avoid contact with skin. Ammonia is an irritant. Iodine is also an irritant and stains clothes and skin. Adult supervision is required.
Along with its many other interesting properties, water has the ability to absorb a lot of heat energy, while only experiencing a relatively small change in temperature. One way this property affects us directly is that our bodies don't change temperature rapidly on hot or cold days, since we are made up of mostly water. In this chemistry-with-an-electronics-flair science fair project, you will determine how the temperature of a small volume of water changes as you add precise amounts of heat…
Read more
Chem_p092
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
An introductory class in chemistry would be helpful. You should also be familiar with Ohm's law.
Material Availability
You will need to order a calorimeter with a heating element online. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Many essential chemical reactions and natural biochemical processes occur in liquid solutions, so understanding the chemical properties of liquid solutions is fundamentally important. This project asks the basic question, how much of a substance can dissolve in water, for three different substances: ordinary table salt, Epsom salts, and sugar.
Read more
Most of the ultraviolet (UV) light produced by the Sun is blocked by the atmosphere, but some UV light does still reach Earth. It can be detected using electronic devices, but can also be detected with something called UV beads. UV beads contain a pigment that changes color when they are exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. In this chemistry science fair project, you will use UV beads to study how temperature affects the rate at which they lose their color.
Read more
Chem_p088
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
You will need to order UV beads online. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Soap comes in many varieties and forms—from bars to bottles to boxes. The uses for soaps are just as expansive—from cleaning our hands, hair, and faces to a variety of household cleaning jobs, such as dishes or laundry. One thing all these different soaps have in common is their chemical origin; they were all made by mixing fat or oil with a strongly basic solution, such as lye. In this chemistry science project, you will carry out the chemical steps needed to transform coconut oil…
Read more
Chem_p096
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
This procedure should be done in a chemistry lab with adult supervision.
Material Availability
Some specialty items are needed; see the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
High ($100 - $150)
Safety
Minor injury is possible. This procedure requires use of sodium hydroxide solution. Sodium hydroxide can burn skin and eyes. See the Experimental Procedure for important cautionary notes. Adult supervision is required.
Solar cells are popping up on rooftops everywhere these days and are a model for clean, renewable energy.
Did you ever look at those solar panels and wonder how we can get electricity produced by solar cells
when the sun is not shining? It is a great question because solar panels do not produce electricity when
it is dark outside. One strategy to overcome this challenge is to store the energy produced by solar
cells during the day in the form of a fuel that can be used at a later time. In…
Read more
Chem_p099
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
Completion of a basic chemistry class is recommended before trying this science project. You should also know something about circuits, or use the [# ProjectGuide Name="Advanced.ElectronicsPrimerIntroduction" Value="HtmlAnchor" HtmlText="Science Buddies Electronics Primer" #].
Material Availability
A number of specialty items are required. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
Very High (over $150)
Safety
Adult supervision is recommended. Use caution when connecting the four 9V batteries.
Ensure that the wires/connectors do not come in contact with each other to cause a
short or the batteries will become VERY hot and can possibly cause burns. Cobalt nitrate can cause skin and eye irritation. It is recommended to wear disposable gloves when handling cobalt nitrate.
Which type of orange juice has the most vitamin C? In this science project, you will learn how to measure the amount of vitamin C in a solution using an iodine titration method. You will compare the amount of vitamin C in three different types of orange juice: homemade, premium not-from-concentrate, and orange juice made from frozen concentrate. Which do you think will have the most vitamin C?
Read more
Chem_p044
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
Material Availability
Titration equipment and supplies are needed. A kit is available from our partner . See the Materials tab for details.
Cost
High ($100 - $150)
Safety
Adult supervision required. Concentrated iodine is poisonous if swallowed. Read and follow all safety guidelines in the Procedure. More information is available from the iodine .
