Trying to liven up a combustion lesson? Why not start with the classic Whoosh Bottle? Pour about 50cm3 of ethanol into a clean plastic water fountain container and bung shut. Shake the bottle to evaporate some of the ethanol and the remove the bung and tip the excess ethanol down the sink. Using a lighted…
Christmas Science – Ice Ice Baby!
Demonstrations based on ice for the science classroom at Christmas It may not be a white Christmas this year but ice over winter is inevitable. Here are some ice-based teacher demonstrations that can be used in the run up to the Christmas holidays, or indeed any time in the year where they can easily be…
Hydrogen explosion with Bablake Smart Scientists
Hydrogen explosion! Water is an essential ingredient for life, with about 60% of the human body made of water. The Year 11 chemists at Bablake School have investigated an explosive way to make this important substance. Miss Sam Holyman is a Chemistry teacher at the school. Her EDEXCEL IGCSE Chemistry class held a flaming tapper…
Oops! When science goes wrong – Crime scene contamination
Before a forensic scientist can study the evidence found at a crime scene it first needs to be collected. This is done by a Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO). It is vitally important to protect scenes from unintentional contamination of evidence in order to ensure that the evidence is reliable. This extends into other areas…
FREE VIDEO: THE BEST SCREAMING JELLY BABY DEMONSTRATION
This short video from the University of Surrey outlines the chemistry behind a science teacher’s favourite way of torturing a sugary snack. Enjoy this stunning oxidation reaction with a slightly macabre twist. The best screaming jelly baby video The screaming jelly baby demonstration has it all: fire, a loud noise and the smell of candy…
FREE HOMEWORK ACTIVITY – A RUSTING EXPERIMENT
A rusting experiment – an easy practical that students can try at home This experiment, which uses the rusting of iron to measure the percentage of oxygen in the air, can be done at home using easily available items. Each student will need: A small transparent plastic water bottle Iron wool Ruler A jug or…
Easter Science – Egg-splosion
Egg-splosive demonstration for Easter Before school breaks up for the Easter holidays this year why not treat your students to this egg-citing egg-speriment (sorry!) which dramatically shows the combustion reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Egg-splosion Eye protection should be worn when carrying out this demonstration. Students should be shielded by the use of a safety…
Christmas Science – Making bath bombs
Making a Christmas present using science Get your students, or children at home, to make bath bombs which can be given as Christmas presents. Making bath bombs Bath bombs produce an enjoyable fizz when placed into a bath. They contain sodium bicarbonate and citric acid. When added to water, the acid reacts with the…
Christmas science – the chemistry behind how crackers work
For many, the sound of bangs from crackers marks the start of Christmas dinner. Share this article about the chemistry behind the cracker with your students so that, before they don their paper hat and tuck into their turkey this year, they can inform their family exactly how crackers work. The chemistry behind how…