Finally, here it is: Thermite.
At about 2:00 I almost die. Well, OK, not really, but I did almost get a lot of liquid iron on my legs.
We tried to melt a tower of Al cans below the reaction, but it just got knocked over. I will need to support it next time.
Showing posts with label science camp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science camp. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Thermite video coming soon
By popular demand of one influential commenter, I videotaped a thermite reaction that I recently performed. I am currently on vacation and am away from my videotape. When I am back[1], I will be posting this video on the good ol' world wide web.
Stay tuned.
[1] and when I figure out all of the computer manipulations necessary to get a video onto U-Tube[2]
[2] I know, it's "YouTube" but when I hear "YouTube" I just think of a piece of glassware used for things like manometers and dialysis experiments.
Stay tuned.
[1] and when I figure out all of the computer manipulations necessary to get a video onto U-Tube[2]
[2] I know, it's "YouTube" but when I hear "YouTube" I just think of a piece of glassware used for things like manometers and dialysis experiments.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thermite pictures
Here are some pictures of my recent thermite demo. This one was 1.5 kg iron (III) oxide and 500 g aluminum powder. It was ignited by adding some gummi bears to a puddle of molten potassium chlorate. The pile of potassium chlorate on top of the thermite was melted using a propane torch.
Notice the doomed aluminum cans and the gummi bear below the flower pot.
Smokey.
The stream of molten iron.
The aftermath.
SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!
Notice the doomed aluminum cans and the gummi bear below the flower pot.
Smokey.
The stream of molten iron.
The aftermath.
SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!
Science Camp 2008: Day 4
Science Camp 2008 is done. What a week.
Today, we did some food chemistry. We tested the vitamin C content in various citrus fruits. First, the campers added a known ascorbic acid solution to some 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol. The loss of color indicated the endpoint. Then they squeezed the juice from a lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit and tested the juice. From our most crude experiment, we found that oranges have the highest concentration of vitamin C followed by lemon, lime and then grapefruit. This is probably not a reliable result, but it was a result.
The demo today was gummi bears in molten potassium chlorate (KClO3) and thermite.
The thermite reaction is great. It is a mix of 3 parts iron (III) oxide and 1 part aluminum powder. This is placed in a clay flower pot and ignited. The ignition is difficult. There are a few traditional methods. These include Mg fuse or KMnO4 and glycerol, but both are unreliable. I have adopted a much more reliable method. Since I typically do the gummi bear in molten KClO3 at the same time as the thermite (since both require a trip to the campus fire pit) I once wondered if the gummi reaction could ignite thermite. Yes it can.
I place the thermite mixture in a clay flower pot and make a depression in the mixture. I place a few grams of KClO3 and melt it with a propane torch. When is it mostly melted, I add the gummi bears. They react and then thermite becomes ignited. So far, I'm 4 for 4 using this method.
Hopefully, pictures will appear soon.
Today, we did some food chemistry. We tested the vitamin C content in various citrus fruits. First, the campers added a known ascorbic acid solution to some 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol. The loss of color indicated the endpoint. Then they squeezed the juice from a lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit and tested the juice. From our most crude experiment, we found that oranges have the highest concentration of vitamin C followed by lemon, lime and then grapefruit. This is probably not a reliable result, but it was a result.
The demo today was gummi bears in molten potassium chlorate (KClO3) and thermite.
The thermite reaction is great. It is a mix of 3 parts iron (III) oxide and 1 part aluminum powder. This is placed in a clay flower pot and ignited. The ignition is difficult. There are a few traditional methods. These include Mg fuse or KMnO4 and glycerol, but both are unreliable. I have adopted a much more reliable method. Since I typically do the gummi bear in molten KClO3 at the same time as the thermite (since both require a trip to the campus fire pit) I once wondered if the gummi reaction could ignite thermite. Yes it can.
I place the thermite mixture in a clay flower pot and make a depression in the mixture. I place a few grams of KClO3 and melt it with a propane torch. When is it mostly melted, I add the gummi bears. They react and then thermite becomes ignited. So far, I'm 4 for 4 using this method.
Hopefully, pictures will appear soon.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Science Camp 2008: Day 3
Day three was all about biopolymers. We extracted and precipitated DNA and messed with some starch based non-newtonian fluid.
First we put our DNA in a bottle. The campers swished about 10 mL of water in their mouths to extract cheek cells. These were added to some sodium lauryl sulfate solution to break up the cells. Then some EDTA was added to stop DNA-degrading enzymes. To precipitate the DNA, 95% ethanol was layered on the aqueous layer. This usually, but not always, created a few opaque strands of DNA. If they were careful, they could remove the DNA and put it in a vial.
This was fun, but it didn't work very well. Not every student was successful, but the ones that got DNA were pretty impressed.
Next, we made a royal mess playing with starch and water. This is a cheap and fun way to entertain a kid for minutes. Mixing starch and water in the right proportion creates a non-newtonian fluid. This fluid acts as a liquid when not under stress but behaves as a solid when under stress. A sharp finger poke will reveal its solid nature and a gentle finger poke will reveal its liquid nature.
The demo today was liquid nitrogen ice cream. I made a big batch;
1 quart heavy cream
1 quart half and half
2 cups sugar
a dash vanilla
Stir to dissolve the sugar.
Add liquid N2 slowly to freeze.
yummy
First we put our DNA in a bottle. The campers swished about 10 mL of water in their mouths to extract cheek cells. These were added to some sodium lauryl sulfate solution to break up the cells. Then some EDTA was added to stop DNA-degrading enzymes. To precipitate the DNA, 95% ethanol was layered on the aqueous layer. This usually, but not always, created a few opaque strands of DNA. If they were careful, they could remove the DNA and put it in a vial.
This was fun, but it didn't work very well. Not every student was successful, but the ones that got DNA were pretty impressed.
Next, we made a royal mess playing with starch and water. This is a cheap and fun way to entertain a kid for minutes. Mixing starch and water in the right proportion creates a non-newtonian fluid. This fluid acts as a liquid when not under stress but behaves as a solid when under stress. A sharp finger poke will reveal its solid nature and a gentle finger poke will reveal its liquid nature.
The demo today was liquid nitrogen ice cream. I made a big batch;
1 quart heavy cream
1 quart half and half
2 cups sugar
a dash vanilla
Stir to dissolve the sugar.
Add liquid N2 slowly to freeze.
yummy
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Science Camp 2008: Day 2
Today was polymer day in Science Camp.
We talked about what polymers are. We spent a fair amount of time talking about plastics.
Try this exercise. Look around you. Any plastics around you? Yeah, I thought so. Plastics define our modern society. Plastics make our modern way of life possible. Identify a few things that contain plastic. If plastics did not exist, what would those items be made of? Or, could they exist at all?
Think of music. Only in recent years has it become possible to store music without some sort of media. CD? Plastic. Compact cassette tape? Plastic. Records? Plastic. etc...
OK, so the point was to illustrate the importance of polymers in modern society
Then we headed off to lab.
In lab we made plexiglass (polymethyl methacrylate). In a doomed glass test tube, about 2 mL of methyl methacrylate is mixed with 6-8 drops of tert butylperoxybenzoate. The tube is stoppered and placed in a 55° C oven overnight. Once polymerization occurs, it's smashy smashy on the test tube to get the bullet-shaped plexiglass out.
Next, we made some nylon by layering a cyclohexane solution of adipoyl chloride on top of an aqueous solution of hexamethylenediamine. With a hooked wire, the nylon is pulled from the solution in a long strand. The strand is washed and dried.
Finally, the classic Elmer's glue, water and borax glop. Since the first two reactions require very careful lab technique due to the potentially dangerous nature of the reactants, it is nice to do something the students can literally get their hands on.
To end the day, we played a round of LMNTO. The winner won a 250 mL beaker (never used).
Tomorrow, we put their DNA (biopolymer) into a vial.
We talked about what polymers are. We spent a fair amount of time talking about plastics.
Try this exercise. Look around you. Any plastics around you? Yeah, I thought so. Plastics define our modern society. Plastics make our modern way of life possible. Identify a few things that contain plastic. If plastics did not exist, what would those items be made of? Or, could they exist at all?
Think of music. Only in recent years has it become possible to store music without some sort of media. CD? Plastic. Compact cassette tape? Plastic. Records? Plastic. etc...
OK, so the point was to illustrate the importance of polymers in modern society
Then we headed off to lab.
In lab we made plexiglass (polymethyl methacrylate). In a doomed glass test tube, about 2 mL of methyl methacrylate is mixed with 6-8 drops of tert butylperoxybenzoate. The tube is stoppered and placed in a 55° C oven overnight. Once polymerization occurs, it's smashy smashy on the test tube to get the bullet-shaped plexiglass out.
Next, we made some nylon by layering a cyclohexane solution of adipoyl chloride on top of an aqueous solution of hexamethylenediamine. With a hooked wire, the nylon is pulled from the solution in a long strand. The strand is washed and dried.
Finally, the classic Elmer's glue, water and borax glop. Since the first two reactions require very careful lab technique due to the potentially dangerous nature of the reactants, it is nice to do something the students can literally get their hands on.
To end the day, we played a round of LMNTO. The winner won a 250 mL beaker (never used).
Tomorrow, we put their DNA (biopolymer) into a vial.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Science Camp 2008: Day 1
Science Camp Day one is in the books. I am beat. Every year I do this I am in awe of teachers that do this for a living. It take a lot of effort to keep 5-8th focused.
Today (in Chemistry) we started with some food chemistry. We did the classic peanut burning lab.
After ensuring no one was allergic to peanuts, we measure the caloric content in peanuts. A unfolded paper clip is stuck into a large cork. The other end is used to impale a peanut. The peanut is ignited using a bunsen burner. The burning peanut is placed under an 8 oz pop can filled with ice until the peanut stops burning. The amount of ice that melts is used to determined how many calories of heat the burning peanut gave off. I help them with the calculations and then we discuss the experiment design and how it could be improved.
During this discussion, I try to explain the difference between a calorie and a Calorie (this has always annoyed me). One food Calorie (capital 'C') is the same as one kilocalorie (little 'c'). So, 1 Calorie = 1000 calories. That is so annoying.
After doing the peanut, we repeat using Cheetos. Let me tell you, Cheetos burn very well. The data is not as good because the large flame makes "catching" the heat difficult since much of the flame goes around the can. But, the students love to see the big fire.
When all was said and done, the values we measured were pretty close to the package values, but typically 10-15% low. This makes sense, since there are significant flaws in the experimental design. However, that is also the point. I want the campers to identify the flaws.
The demo I did today was the "methanol cannon." About 10 mL of Methanol is placed in a plastic bottle (any size up to 20 L). The bottle is agitated. A match is added to the neck of the bottle and the methanol vapors ignite. This makes an impressive fire ball in the container. An attempt to repeat the demo fails and a discussion on the role of oxygen in combustion ensues. As an added twist adding boric acid makes the flame green. For the best results, I use a 20 L plastic water bottle. In small rooms I have blown ceiling tiles out of place.
SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!
Today (in Chemistry) we started with some food chemistry. We did the classic peanut burning lab.
After ensuring no one was allergic to peanuts, we measure the caloric content in peanuts. A unfolded paper clip is stuck into a large cork. The other end is used to impale a peanut. The peanut is ignited using a bunsen burner. The burning peanut is placed under an 8 oz pop can filled with ice until the peanut stops burning. The amount of ice that melts is used to determined how many calories of heat the burning peanut gave off. I help them with the calculations and then we discuss the experiment design and how it could be improved.
During this discussion, I try to explain the difference between a calorie and a Calorie (this has always annoyed me). One food Calorie (capital 'C') is the same as one kilocalorie (little 'c'). So, 1 Calorie = 1000 calories. That is so annoying.
After doing the peanut, we repeat using Cheetos. Let me tell you, Cheetos burn very well. The data is not as good because the large flame makes "catching" the heat difficult since much of the flame goes around the can. But, the students love to see the big fire.
When all was said and done, the values we measured were pretty close to the package values, but typically 10-15% low. This makes sense, since there are significant flaws in the experimental design. However, that is also the point. I want the campers to identify the flaws.
The demo I did today was the "methanol cannon." About 10 mL of Methanol is placed in a plastic bottle (any size up to 20 L). The bottle is agitated. A match is added to the neck of the bottle and the methanol vapors ignite. This makes an impressive fire ball in the container. An attempt to repeat the demo fails and a discussion on the role of oxygen in combustion ensues. As an added twist adding boric acid makes the flame green. For the best results, I use a 20 L plastic water bottle. In small rooms I have blown ceiling tiles out of place.
SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!
Science Camp 2008
Today is the first day of Science Camp. I and some colleagues will be hosting about 25 junior high students for a week of sciencey fun and learning.
I chronicled what I did last year. It was fun, but a ton of work.
This year my two main topics are going to be polymers and food chemistry. I'll keep you posted and maybe post some pictures.
I chronicled what I did last year. It was fun, but a ton of work.
This year my two main topics are going to be polymers and food chemistry. I'll keep you posted and maybe post some pictures.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Science Camp: Day 4
Day four, the final day.
One thing I have learned is that running a Science camp or any camp for 5th to 8th graders is exhausting. By the last day, I am running on fumes.
On the last day, we started by finishing their egg drop devices. They had an hour to finish, test and weigh in their devices. From there we moved to the separate sections.
In chemistry we analyzed the stained DNA agarose gels. We found out suspect 3 was guilty. We promptly sent him off to the death chamber.
Then we synthesized aspirin. 0.5 grams salicylic acid plus 1.5 mL acetic anhydride and 3-4 drops phosphoric acid. Heat at 80°C for 5 minutes. Add water and cool. This is a bit of an advanced lab, but they seemed to enjoy it. The underlying beauty hidden on the molecular level escapes them, but it is cool to see white crystals form from a clear solution.
The demo of the day was gummi bear oxidation and thermite. The gummi bear oxidation was done by adding gummi bears to molten potassium chlorate (KClO3. it shoots off some nice flames.
Thermite is the reaction of iron (III) oxide and aluminum metal. It produces molten iron as a product. This time I did my biggest one ever. I used about 1.3 kg of iron (III) oxide and 400 g of aluminum. It took a few attempts to ignite and it worked almost great. I say almost because some of the mixture got blown out of the flower pot holding it before it got a chance to react.
I promise to show a video of this once I find that stupid firewire cable for my video camera and can load it onto my computer. I've looked everywhere. Does anyone know where I put it?
We ended the camp with a picnic for the campers and their families. We had about 100 people show up. We started with the egg drop competition, then we ate, had a small awards ceremony, and that was it. Science Camp was over.
Time to start planning for next year.
One thing I have learned is that running a Science camp or any camp for 5th to 8th graders is exhausting. By the last day, I am running on fumes.
On the last day, we started by finishing their egg drop devices. They had an hour to finish, test and weigh in their devices. From there we moved to the separate sections.
In chemistry we analyzed the stained DNA agarose gels. We found out suspect 3 was guilty. We promptly sent him off to the death chamber.
Then we synthesized aspirin. 0.5 grams salicylic acid plus 1.5 mL acetic anhydride and 3-4 drops phosphoric acid. Heat at 80°C for 5 minutes. Add water and cool. This is a bit of an advanced lab, but they seemed to enjoy it. The underlying beauty hidden on the molecular level escapes them, but it is cool to see white crystals form from a clear solution.
The demo of the day was gummi bear oxidation and thermite. The gummi bear oxidation was done by adding gummi bears to molten potassium chlorate (KClO3. it shoots off some nice flames.
Thermite is the reaction of iron (III) oxide and aluminum metal. It produces molten iron as a product. This time I did my biggest one ever. I used about 1.3 kg of iron (III) oxide and 400 g of aluminum. It took a few attempts to ignite and it worked almost great. I say almost because some of the mixture got blown out of the flower pot holding it before it got a chance to react.
I promise to show a video of this once I find that stupid firewire cable for my video camera and can load it onto my computer. I've looked everywhere. Does anyone know where I put it?
We ended the camp with a picnic for the campers and their families. We had about 100 people show up. We started with the egg drop competition, then we ate, had a small awards ceremony, and that was it. Science Camp was over.
Time to start planning for next year.
Science Camp: Day 3
I'm a bit behind in my updating of Science Camp 2007. It is actually done, but I have two updates to make. I also can't find my firewire cable that connects my video camera to my computer. I have some video I want to upload, but unless I find that cable, nothing will be uploaded. Oh, well. I'll worry about that later.
Day 3: We started out day 3 with what we call, Egg Drop Engineering (EDE). The task is to protect an egg from a 5 meter drop. The old classic activity, but one they enjoy. There are scored on whether the egg breaks or not, the number of pieces, the mass of the device, and the accuracy of hitting the target. The twist was that each camper was told to bring 2 items that could be used and they would randomly organized in groups of 3. This meant, they had no idea who their partners were or what they were going to have to work with. They spent about an hour designing and building. The actual drop will occur tomorrow.
They split up into the three groups for the rest of the day. In chemistry, they loaded their DNA fragments from the forensic DNA analysis onto agarose gel. This was very entertaining for me. Visualize 30 5-8th graders trying to pipet 20µL into a tiny well in an agarose gel. Most of them did pretty good. Some did not. The 100 volts of electricity was applied for an hour. On Thursday they will make a verdict after I stained the gel.
During the remainder of the chemistry time, we did some cyanotyping. Cyanotype is like making a blueprint. A piece of watercolor paper is coated with a solution of potassium ferricyanide (K3Fe(CN)6) and ferric ammonium citrate (Fe(NH4)C6H8O7) to produce the photosensitive compound, iron (III) hexacyanoferrate (III), Fe[Fe(CN)6]. When this paper is exposed to light, the ferric ion (+3) gets reduced to ferrous ion (+2). The ferrous ions then react with the ferricyanide ions of the potassium ferricyanide to produce ferrous ferricyanide (Fe3[Fe(CN)6]2. This blue compound is insoluble in water, but the yellow iron (III) hexacyanoferrate (III) is soluble. In this activity an opaque object in placed on the paper and the paper is taken outside and exposed to sunlight. The solution under the opaque object is then washed away leaving the blue negative.
The demo and snack of the day was liquid nitrogen ice cream. They loved it. I ended up making almost one gallon of ice cream.
Day 3: We started out day 3 with what we call, Egg Drop Engineering (EDE). The task is to protect an egg from a 5 meter drop. The old classic activity, but one they enjoy. There are scored on whether the egg breaks or not, the number of pieces, the mass of the device, and the accuracy of hitting the target. The twist was that each camper was told to bring 2 items that could be used and they would randomly organized in groups of 3. This meant, they had no idea who their partners were or what they were going to have to work with. They spent about an hour designing and building. The actual drop will occur tomorrow.
They split up into the three groups for the rest of the day. In chemistry, they loaded their DNA fragments from the forensic DNA analysis onto agarose gel. This was very entertaining for me. Visualize 30 5-8th graders trying to pipet 20µL into a tiny well in an agarose gel. Most of them did pretty good. Some did not. The 100 volts of electricity was applied for an hour. On Thursday they will make a verdict after I stained the gel.
During the remainder of the chemistry time, we did some cyanotyping. Cyanotype is like making a blueprint. A piece of watercolor paper is coated with a solution of potassium ferricyanide (K3Fe(CN)6) and ferric ammonium citrate (Fe(NH4)C6H8O7) to produce the photosensitive compound, iron (III) hexacyanoferrate (III), Fe[Fe(CN)6]. When this paper is exposed to light, the ferric ion (+3) gets reduced to ferrous ion (+2). The ferrous ions then react with the ferricyanide ions of the potassium ferricyanide to produce ferrous ferricyanide (Fe3[Fe(CN)6]2. This blue compound is insoluble in water, but the yellow iron (III) hexacyanoferrate (III) is soluble. In this activity an opaque object in placed on the paper and the paper is taken outside and exposed to sunlight. The solution under the opaque object is then washed away leaving the blue negative.
The demo and snack of the day was liquid nitrogen ice cream. They loved it. I ended up making almost one gallon of ice cream.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Science Camp: Day 2
I never got around to posting this last night, so it's a little late.
Yesterday, Day 2 of Science Camp, was another fun day. We started by finishing up the insect collecting. After about an hour of terrorizing butterflies, we moved to individual sessions.
In the chemistry session we did some DNA testing. For convenience I use a forensic DNA fingerprinting kit from BioRad. I've used this kit several times and it has always worked. I spread it over two days.
During the first day, I talk about DNA and how restriction enzymes can be used to make distinct DNA fragments. To illustrate this, I give them a strip of paper that has been subdivided into 40 boxes. I give them each a box of four crayons (like the ones you get a restaurants to entertain the wee ones until the food arrives). They are instructed to randomly color the boxes with the four different colors. Ideally, each color is used for 25% of the boxes. After they are done coloring, we get out our restriction enzymes: scissors. I pick a sequence of colors at random and anyone with that sequence cuts the "DNA" with the scissors. For example, I pick "red, blue, blue." Anyone with that sequence would cut after the second blue. Next we switch to a different enzyme that cuts after the sequence "Green, Yellow." Anyone with the sequence would cut after the yellow box. This continues for a few more rounds. Eventually, we compare everyones "DNA" fragments. I've never had anyone get the same # and size of fragments. It illustrates the point that everyones DNA is different and different fragments will be formed when the restriction enzymes are used.
After the coloring exercise, we went to the lab to add the EcoR1/Pst1 restriction enzyme mixture to DNA samples. There was a crime scene sample and 5 suspect samples. To do the transfers we use Eppendorf micropipets. A lot of time is spent teaching them house to use the pipets, but they love using the professional tools. They are closely supervised of course.
After the restriction enzyme has been added to the DNA it is incubated overnight. On Day 3 of Science Camp we will do electrophoresis.
The demo of the day involved the combustion of hydrogen balloons. This has been one of my favorite demos since I first saw it done at the University of Nebraska. The first balloon contains pure oxygen. A candle on the end of meter stick acts as a igniter. The pure oxygen balloon simply pops and the crowd is not amused.
What's the problem? There is no fuel, just oxygen.
The next balloon contains hydrogen. The candle on a stick is place under the balloon and boom! This amuses them a little more. Now that there is fuel, the "boom" is nice. However, the only source of oxygen is on the outside. The balloon must pop first, mix with the hydrogen and then combust.
The final balloon contains 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen. The candle is placed under the balloon and BOOM!!!! The blast is felt and heard by everyone near. Now we are talking chemistry.
It illustrates the importance of stoichiometry.
As an added bonus, I tried something I always wanted to try. I taped 5 hydrogen balloons together in a line. I put the candle under the first balloon and the chain reaction worked even better than expected. Oddly enough, the sequence of explosions had the rhythm just like the first part of "shave and a hair cut..." It was weird.
I didn't video tape it, but I am going to repeat that and tape it for sure.
Yesterday, Day 2 of Science Camp, was another fun day. We started by finishing up the insect collecting. After about an hour of terrorizing butterflies, we moved to individual sessions.
In the chemistry session we did some DNA testing. For convenience I use a forensic DNA fingerprinting kit from BioRad. I've used this kit several times and it has always worked. I spread it over two days.
During the first day, I talk about DNA and how restriction enzymes can be used to make distinct DNA fragments. To illustrate this, I give them a strip of paper that has been subdivided into 40 boxes. I give them each a box of four crayons (like the ones you get a restaurants to entertain the wee ones until the food arrives). They are instructed to randomly color the boxes with the four different colors. Ideally, each color is used for 25% of the boxes. After they are done coloring, we get out our restriction enzymes: scissors. I pick a sequence of colors at random and anyone with that sequence cuts the "DNA" with the scissors. For example, I pick "red, blue, blue." Anyone with that sequence would cut after the second blue. Next we switch to a different enzyme that cuts after the sequence "Green, Yellow." Anyone with the sequence would cut after the yellow box. This continues for a few more rounds. Eventually, we compare everyones "DNA" fragments. I've never had anyone get the same # and size of fragments. It illustrates the point that everyones DNA is different and different fragments will be formed when the restriction enzymes are used.
After the coloring exercise, we went to the lab to add the EcoR1/Pst1 restriction enzyme mixture to DNA samples. There was a crime scene sample and 5 suspect samples. To do the transfers we use Eppendorf micropipets. A lot of time is spent teaching them house to use the pipets, but they love using the professional tools. They are closely supervised of course.
After the restriction enzyme has been added to the DNA it is incubated overnight. On Day 3 of Science Camp we will do electrophoresis.
The demo of the day involved the combustion of hydrogen balloons. This has been one of my favorite demos since I first saw it done at the University of Nebraska. The first balloon contains pure oxygen. A candle on the end of meter stick acts as a igniter. The pure oxygen balloon simply pops and the crowd is not amused.
What's the problem? There is no fuel, just oxygen.
The next balloon contains hydrogen. The candle on a stick is place under the balloon and boom! This amuses them a little more. Now that there is fuel, the "boom" is nice. However, the only source of oxygen is on the outside. The balloon must pop first, mix with the hydrogen and then combust.
The final balloon contains 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen. The candle is placed under the balloon and BOOM!!!! The blast is felt and heard by everyone near. Now we are talking chemistry.
It illustrates the importance of stoichiometry.
As an added bonus, I tried something I always wanted to try. I taped 5 hydrogen balloons together in a line. I put the candle under the first balloon and the chain reaction worked even better than expected. Oddly enough, the sequence of explosions had the rhythm just like the first part of "shave and a hair cut..." It was weird.
I didn't video tape it, but I am going to repeat that and tape it for sure.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Science Camp: Day 1
Well, day one of science camp is done. The camp runs from 12:30PM to 5:30PM for 4 days.
Here is a summary of what went on at Summer Science Camp 2007, Day 1:
All 30 campers showed up. That was nice. They all got outfitted with a binder and name tag. Then we started with a bit of overview and a few ground rules (Safety #1, listen #2). We broke them up into 3 groups of 10. Each group has a counselor.
On day 1 they did chemistry, biology and robots.
In chemistry, I had them synthesize some paint pigments. We made Prussian Blue (KFe[Fe(CN)6]) from iron (III) chloride and potassium ferrocyanide. We made chrome yellow (ZnCrO4) from zinc sulfate and potassium chromate. We also made malachite (CuCO3*Cu(OH)2) from copper (II) sulfate and sodium bicarbonate. During all of the Chemistry we talked about reactions, precipitation, safety, measuring, keeping a lab notebook etc... After they made and filtered the pigments, they mixed them with some white acrylic paint and made a painting.
In biology they did tested for bacteria on their hands before and after washing. Some washed with soap, some without, some with antibacterial soap etc... The results should be in today.
In robots, the built some Lego robots and programmed them to do simple tasks.
The end of the day was spent collecting insects on campus. Each group set off to collect as many insects with as great a diversity as possible.
During snack time, I did a demo. I did the methanol cannon demo. It is simple. Using any plastic jug or bottle, about 5 mL of methanol is added to the bottle. Shake it up and add a match. The combustion is impressive. When you try to do it again, it doesn't work because all of the oxygen in the bottle is gone. This leads into a great discussion of combustion, fuel and oxygen.
As a little twist to the methanol cannons, I added boric acid to the bottle. This results in producing a green flame. I'm not sure exactly why, but it has to do with the formation of methyl borate esters. Regardless of the reason, it burns green. I made a video and when I have time, I will try to post that. Right now I'm busy getting ready for today.
So, day 1 of science camp ended. All the students (who were great BTW) survived and uninjured. That's always nice.
Look for another update tomorrow.
Here is a summary of what went on at Summer Science Camp 2007, Day 1:
All 30 campers showed up. That was nice. They all got outfitted with a binder and name tag. Then we started with a bit of overview and a few ground rules (Safety #1, listen #2). We broke them up into 3 groups of 10. Each group has a counselor.
On day 1 they did chemistry, biology and robots.
In chemistry, I had them synthesize some paint pigments. We made Prussian Blue (KFe[Fe(CN)6]) from iron (III) chloride and potassium ferrocyanide. We made chrome yellow (ZnCrO4) from zinc sulfate and potassium chromate. We also made malachite (CuCO3*Cu(OH)2) from copper (II) sulfate and sodium bicarbonate. During all of the Chemistry we talked about reactions, precipitation, safety, measuring, keeping a lab notebook etc... After they made and filtered the pigments, they mixed them with some white acrylic paint and made a painting.
In biology they did tested for bacteria on their hands before and after washing. Some washed with soap, some without, some with antibacterial soap etc... The results should be in today.
In robots, the built some Lego robots and programmed them to do simple tasks.
The end of the day was spent collecting insects on campus. Each group set off to collect as many insects with as great a diversity as possible.
During snack time, I did a demo. I did the methanol cannon demo. It is simple. Using any plastic jug or bottle, about 5 mL of methanol is added to the bottle. Shake it up and add a match. The combustion is impressive. When you try to do it again, it doesn't work because all of the oxygen in the bottle is gone. This leads into a great discussion of combustion, fuel and oxygen.
As a little twist to the methanol cannons, I added boric acid to the bottle. This results in producing a green flame. I'm not sure exactly why, but it has to do with the formation of methyl borate esters. Regardless of the reason, it burns green. I made a video and when I have time, I will try to post that. Right now I'm busy getting ready for today.
So, day 1 of science camp ended. All the students (who were great BTW) survived and uninjured. That's always nice.
Look for another update tomorrow.
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