Students use household materials and a conductivity probe to explore factors that affect the conductivity of electrolytic solutions. Students gain experience in molarity and dilution calculations, solution preparation, nomenclature, statistical analysis, and graphical presentation of data. This hands-on activity is flexible and can be modified to accommodate both high school and undergraduate courses. Students can safely…
Overview
Adapted from Scientific American and Connections Education
In this colorful experiment, students extract red cabbage indicator (an anthocyanin) with isopropyl alcohol or water. Students then create a series of solutions of household chemicals and use their indicator and pH strips (or a pH probe, $19) to correlate pH to color change. Based on their results,…
Use the (really fun!) reaction between the sodium bicarbonate in Alka-Seltzer tablets and vinegar to explore stoichiometry, percent composition, and limiting reactants. This experiment is easily and safely reproduced at home using household materials and this $12 balance. Students also gain experience with data manipulation, error analysis, and graphical presentation in Excel. This laboratory can be…