The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
The early labs include the topics of Significant Figures, Density (3 labs), the Separation of a Mixture (including coverage of Percent Composition), and Liquid Chromatography. These are safe labs that cover essential information, giving you time to emphasize Lab Safety and get Lab Safety Contracts signed.
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report. This way the teacher has the option! Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout.
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you -- Order Now. It’s a great resource!
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget
http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
As stated last week, Mole Day is October 23 (10/23) – this year it’s on a Sunday. You may want to start introducing Mole math before or after that date.
Past Mole posts include:
01/10/2014 2nd Entry (Mole Conversions and
Moletown Map)
10/20/2014 Celebrating Mole Day
10/15/2015 Mole Mathematics
10/15/2016 Mole Day is Coming!
There are several labs in Chemistry on a Budget about The Mole Concept including “Catching Moles”, “Moles in Your Name?”, and beginning Stoichiometry with “A Chemical Reaction”.
Recently, a short article caught my attention as it was titled, “The blue in your blue jeans may have originated in Peru at least 6000 years ago.”http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/09/blue-your-blue-jeans-may-have-originated-peru-least-6000-years-ago
The history of a commonly experienced product could be interesting to your students; it could also be a source of Extra Credit as a student researches more about the idea.
“The earliest previously known fabric to contain indigo dye was found in Egypt and dated to 4,400 years ago. Writings in other Middle Eastern lands mention the dye as far back as 5,000 years ago.
The Huaca Prieta fragments included indigo-dyed yarn, off-white cotton, and bright-white thread crafted from milkweed, which was not at all a common textile in South America at that time.”
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/currentevents/ancientindigo-peru.htm
Here are some interesting websites providing more history of indigo dye:
http://www.scienceinschool.org/2012/issue24/indigo
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Indigo.html
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/07/142094103/indigo-the-indelible-color-that-ruled-the-world
Here is a short, 10-minute video showing indigo production in India:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEMcjmyjoOY
“By the 19th century, natural indigo production could no longer meet the demands of the clothing industry, and a search for synthetic indigo started. In 1865, Adolf von Baeyer, a German chemist began working on the synthesis of indigo and in 1897 synthetic indigo was launched. In 1905, Baeyer won the Nobel prize in Chemistry for his work on organic dyes including indigo.”
http://www.wildcolours.co.uk/html/indigo_history.html
*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom. Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.
Have a great weekend!