| Recently, we have been studying a unit on Chemical Reactions - what a chemical reaction is, what a compound is, what information in a formula means, what occurs when something dissolves, stating the law of Conservation of Matter, etc. We concluded our unit with a vist from Dr. Dix.
Dr. Dix, a chemistry professor at Binghamton University, came into our class to share some experiments. First, he showed students his new laptop computer that he earned by working on a publisher's science web site. Then he captured students' attention by showing them a racquetball container as an example of one of the things that chemists help to make. Next he mixed water with calcium chloride and let students feel the hot container. This explains how road crews melt the ice and snow on the roads during the winter. Dr. Dix then mixed water with ammonium chloride so we could feel the cold - like in a cold pack.
Professor Dix gave all the students red cabbage water (which is a blue solution), and each student added lemon juice (an acid), turning the solutions pink. Then everyone added ammonia water (a base) turning the solutions green. Last, all added clear soda ( a weak acid) that also turned the solutions pink.
In the last experiment, Dr. Dix poured liquid nitrogen which is - 392û Celsius and boils when coming in contact with warm air in the classroom. He dropped a rubber racquetball into the liquid nitrogen, which froze and became brittle. He then hit the ball with a hammer making the rubber ball crack into pieces.
Dr. Dix's visit was a good experience for the students. They came away with a better understanding of the connection between chemistry and both real life products and experiences familiar to them. | |
