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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    ThreadKiller's Avatar

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    Default Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    Hey all. I'm taking Organic Chemistry II lecture and lab, and we have to contribute to a campus kid-friendly event called the "Cool Chemistry Show." My lab has come up with a couple of ideas, but nothing quite solid as of yet. Last week, we made lead iodide precipitate to make "gold rain" and did catalytic oxidation of glucose to show color changes with oxygen (blue bottle experiment). Previous suggestions were the "barking dog" and "gun cotton", but they are too dangerous. So, if anyone has suggestions for some neat experiments that aren't dangerous, let me know. Thanks!
    Last edited by ThreadKiller; 2017-04-10 at 11:44 AM.

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    NecromancerGuy

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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    How about sodium acetate crystallization?

    It's a neat demonstration of thermodynamics and crystals and stuff: you have a saturated solution of sodium acetate and something to provide a nucleation site, with the solution chilled to below its freezing point. (Room temperature works.) It'll stay liquid forever until you nucleate it, at which point you can watch the crystals spread through the solution really quickly and you can feel the solution heat up.

    It's also reusable; just completely melt the crystals and the whole thing is reset.

    If your definition of organic chemistry includes enzymology, throwing a tiny piece of grocery store liver into hydrogen peroxide will make it bubble furiously from the catalase decomposing it into water and oxygen; depending on how safe you want to be, holding a lit taper over the mouth of your reaction vessel produces an impressive increase in flame.

    EDIT: The Briggs-Rauscher reaction is also fun, provided you can keep the kids away from the reaction vessel (it needs sulfuric acid and iodine, among other things). It's an oscillating reaction with a nice color change. Here is a link to a demonstration preparation for it.

    FURTHER EDIT: I don't know how I forgot this, but making nylon has always been a hit whenever I've done this sort of lecture demonstration thing. You will need to get hold of sebacoyl chloride, heptane, and 1,6-diaminohexane, though. Also, I used to let the kids pull out the nylon thread themselves (and, given a suitably large apparatus, go running off with it clutched in a pair of forceps), but of course you need to wash it before anyone handles it.
    Last edited by Trekkin; 2017-04-10 at 02:32 PM.

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    Orc in the Playground
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    I suggest adding at least one that they can safely reproduce at home, with easy to find ingredients, by themselves or with help from their parents depending on age.

    One that requires no more than regular cooking is making a pH indicator out of red cabbage, and the effect it pretty visual, kids always appreciate an immediately visible result.
    http://www.sciencekiddo.com/red-cabbage-ph-indicator/

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    NecromancerGuy

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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    Oh, anthocyanin indicators bring back memories for me.

    Mostly of parents airily informing me that "this science business" was all very well and good, but I shouldn't be "encouraging [their] children to waste [the parents'] money" by informing them that, yes, you can make pH indicator out of the flavins in red cabbage.

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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    If you want something impressive looking, there would be the Pharaoh's Snake, but that's quite toxic, so how about the less impressive Black Snake instead?

    https://www.thoughtco.com/make-black...w-worms-605964
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    WolfInSheepsClothing

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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    Non Newtonian fluids with cornstach was one we did at my school you just need a big enough containers that the kids can take off their shoes and socks to walk ontop of it for a little while, then you tell them to stop and they sink through it.

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    Orc in the Playground
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    Quote Originally Posted by Trekkin View Post
    Oh, anthocyanin indicators bring back memories for me.

    Mostly of parents airily informing me that "this science business" was all very well and good, but I shouldn't be "encouraging [their] children to waste [the parents'] money" by informing them that, yes, you can make pH indicator out of the flavins in red cabbage.
    D:
    That's sad. You don't interest children in science by teaching them that it's an unattainable esoteric thing, it's something that has both its roots and effects in everyday life, that's the whole beauty of it!

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    Orc in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    I don't know your definition of safe; I'd be comfortable showing this to a crowd from a few meters away, and certainly through a blast shield:

    A neat one I like it mixing copper sulfate and aluminium filings in a moderately strong HCl solution. Aluminium is very unstable in acid (once the acid gets through the oxide layer at least) and starts to oxidize. Hydrogen is reduced, forming H2. The hydrogen gas can then be set on fire. If you get the proportions right, the flame will sustain itself as more hydrogen is produced. It can be a neat introduction to what oxidation (e.g. rusting) really is, with a cool visual.

    The copper sulfate is mostly just to give the fire a cool colour.
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    acid-base extraction and recrystallization of caffeine from energy drink. guaffensin would be easier, but they might get ideas.

    how hard is it to make sucralose from sucrose? teach molecular diagrams at the same time.
    Last edited by tantric; 2017-04-11 at 09:07 PM.

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    Ettin in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    Quote Originally Posted by Dodom View Post
    D:
    That's sad. You don't interest children in science by teaching them that it's an unattainable esoteric thing, it's something that has both its roots and effects in everyday life, that's the whole beauty of it!
    I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that parents describing it as 'this science business' aren't terribly interested in teaching children to like science.
    Last edited by georgie_leech; 2017-04-15 at 03:31 PM.
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    Dragon in the Playground Moderator
     
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    Quote Originally Posted by georgie_leech View Post
    I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that parents describing it as 'this science business' aren't terribly interested in teaching children to like science.
    Reminds me of when I worked IMAX at a science museum and we had a parent complain about the film, saying there was a museum up north where "they let the viewer decide."
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    A bit late to the thread, but I found this page of chemical reaction gifs of varying safety and expense: link.

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    Pixie in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    A good selection. Some experiments I have already seen, and the rest for the first time. Cool! Especially luminol and hydrogen peroxide. We somehow also conducted an experiment with sodium polyacrylate. And my observations and conclusions I share on our website, where among other things we provide organic chemistry help. Still, I have a rich experience, which I want to share with others.

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    Dragon in the Playground Moderator
     
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    Quote Originally Posted by Brother Oni View Post
    A bit late to the thread, but I found this page of chemical reaction gifs of varying safety and expense: link.
    That's not putting water on a magnesium fire. This is putting water on a magnesium fire.

    Also, I was gonna just say to check out the chemicalreactiongifs subreddit, but looks like that page says so at the end already.
    Cuthalion's art is the prettiest art of all the art. Like my avatar.

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    Orc in the Playground
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    Cracked just ran an article on easy cool effects:

    http://www.cracked.com/article_24812...ht-now_p2.html

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    Pixie in the Playground
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    hi, I feel very glad to see your post. I can't move ahead until I read this blog completely. thanks for sharing this information
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    I remember chlorophyll prints or photos (you would probably need to make a crude camera on our own or repurpose and old analog camera) being very cool, but I cannot find specifics about the time it requires to make. You could still have some made beforehand and show the method at least. Frankly, analog photography is a very interesting subject altogether. If you could make your own photosensitive material all the better. If you go this way, then I would recommend to also have a dark room to show photoprocessing.

    If you have some aerogels, they are very cool materials to show.

    Also: someone had to mention it.
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    Pixie in the Playground
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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

    I'm new here. And here I dug up such an old topic. It is quite interesting to read about medical matters. All health and do not get sick!

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    Default Re: Chemistry/Organic Chemistry experiments

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