Classroom Resources: Chemistry Basics
101 – 125 of 515 Classroom Resources
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Identifying an Unknown, Experimental Design, Scientific Method, Chemical Change, Net Ionic Equation, Precipitate, Solubility, Solubility Rules, Balancing Equations, Predicting Products, Chemical Change | High School
Lab: Mislabeled Mess! Mark as Favorite (29 Favorites)
In this lab, students will identify 3 unknown acids by using the solubility rules. They will be given a list of materials and will design their own procedures for identifying the unknowns. For each combination of reactants, they will predict whether a product forms and, if it does, write complete and net ionic equations for those reactions.
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Review, Physical Properties, Elements | High School
Activity: Family Reunion Puzzle Mark as Favorite (1 Favorite)
In this activity, students will be challenged to solve a collection of anagrams—but with a twist! Given 27 ordinary words, students must remove one letter and then rearrange the remaining letters to form a chemical term. Additionally, the anagrams are grouped into 3 families, with all of the chemical terms in each family sharing a common property or theme.
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pH, Indicators, Chemical Properties, Physical Properties, Identifying an Unknown | High School
Lab: Pigment pH Puzzles Mark as Favorite (19 Favorites)
In this lab, students will use their scientific detective skills to determine the identity of pigments used in various types of pH test strips based on how they each interact with several solutions of different pH values.
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Lab Safety, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Interdisciplinary, Heat, Temperature, Polymers, Polymers | High School
Activity: Ingenious: This Sandwich Will Save Your Life in an Arc Flash Video Questions Mark as Favorite (8 Favorites)
In this activity, students will answer questions while watching the video, This Sandwich will Save your life in an Arc Flash, from the Ingenious series produced by the American Chemical Society. Each episode investigates a different topic related to how leading-edge chemistry is taking on the world’s most urgent issues to advance everyone’s quality of life and secure our shared future. This episode investigates the composite fabrics that protect lives of many people, like industrial workers, firefighters, and soldiers. When these workers encounter a fiery situation, they rely on protective clothing, designed using multiple layers of chemistry, to keep them safe.
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Lab Safety, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Interdisciplinary, Heat, Temperature, Polymers, Molecular Structure | High School
Video: Ingenious Video 3: This Sandwich Will Save Your Life in an Arc Flash Mark as Favorite (3 Favorites)
It’s never fun when your clothes catch on fire. And while “stop, drop, and roll” may be a good idea sometimes, in more extreme cases, you need a better plan. Every day, industrial workers, firefighters, and soldiers risk fiery situations that might seem hard to imagine. In an arc flash event, for one, temperatures can jump to metal-melting levels in milliseconds. How can anyone possibly survive that? Well, take a tip from a club sandwich, because it’s all about the layers. The composite fabrics that protect life and limb in these situations rely on some incredible, multilayered chemistry, including the ability to quickly form a protective carbonaceous crust around the wearer.
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Lab Safety, Chemical Properties, Physical Properties | Middle School, High School
Activity: ACS Chemical Safety Video Questions Mark as Favorite (14 Favorites)
In this activity, students will learn about safety, a core value of chemistry, through watching related videos produced by the American Chemical Society, Students will complete guided notes and questions during the activity. This chemical safety video series includes five videos: Safety Mindset, Safety Data Sheets, How to Dress for the Lab, and PPE, Preparing for Emergencies, and RAMP (Recognize hazards, Assess risks, Minimize risks, Prepare for emergencies).
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Identifying an Unknown, Experimental Design, Chemical Properties, Physical Properties, Observations, Polyatomic Ions, Chemical Change, Ionic Bonding, Covalent Bonding, Solubility | High School
Lab: Determining the Composition of Bridge Straw Stalactites Mark as Favorite (8 Favorites)
In this lab, students will investigate “straws” that hang from a local bridge, and then determine various tests that can help to determine their chemical composition. Evaluating both the test results, as well as given information students will then make a claim about the composition, while providing evidence and supporting it with reasoning.
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Separating Mixtures, Physical Properties, Mixtures | Middle School, High School
Lab: Mixture Separation Challenge Mark as Favorite (24 Favorites)
In this lab, students investigate the composition of a given mixture. Using their content knowledge and a variety of provided materials, students are tasked with separating the mixture into its individual components.
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Introduction, Lab Safety, Chemical Properties, Physical Properties, Chemical Change, Physical Change, History, Separating Mixtures, Elements, Mixtures, Density, Measurements, SI Units, Significant Figures, Dimensional Analysis, Scientific Notation, Accuracy, Molecular Motion, Phase Changes | High School
Lesson Plan: The Chemistry Basics and Measurement Quick Start Unit Plan Mark as Favorite (48 Favorites)
This Quick Start Unit Plan includes all the materials that a teacher will need for the first 10 class meetings of the school year. Each day is outlined with teacher notes, and includes slide presentations as well as directions for demonstrations, activities and labs to use. The fundamental topics covered in the 10 days of lessons are: laboratory safety, laboratory equipment, experimental design, classification of matter, chemical properties, physical properties, chemical change, physical change, phase changes, separation techniques, dimensional analysis, unit conversions, factor label method, accuracy, precision, significant figures, and percent error calculations. This Quick Start Unit plan aims to help students to build a foundation of understanding, and master important topics before moving deeper into the chemistry curriculum.
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Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Physical Change, Chemical Change, Observations | High School
Lab: Determining Physical and Chemical Properties Mark as Favorite (43 Favorites)
In this lab, students will determine the physical and chemical properties of several different substances through testing and observation. Additionally, they will further their understanding of chemical and physical changes, and their ability to recognize each type of change.
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Lab Safety | Middle School, High School
Demonstration: Why Do We Have to Wear Goggles? Mark as Favorite (23 Favorites)
In this simple demonstration, students will observe a reaction between an acid and an egg white and learn why is important to wear safety goggles in the lab. The reaction is similar to the damage that can be done to your eye if acid comes in contact with it.
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Establishing Equilibrium, Equilibrium Constants, Reaction Quotient, Graphing | High School
Activity: Shaking Dice to Model Equilibrium Principles Mark as Favorite (22 Favorites)
In this activity, students work together in small groups using a variety of multi-sided dice to model the dynamic character of a chemical equilibrium. Students will collect, share and analyze data in order to understand that the rate of a chemical reaction depends on the concentration of reactants (and products) as modelled by the different sided dice.
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Scientific Method, Experimental Design, Observations, Introduction, Graphing | Middle School, High School
Lab: Applying the Scientific Method to Stain Removal Mark as Favorite (58 Favorites)
In this lab, students will explore the real scientific process by designing an experiment to solve a problem. Students will learn about basic lab equipment, safety, and the scientific process of trial and error while solving a common problem: What color of food coloring requires the most bleach to remove?
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Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Elements, Matter, Covalent Bonding, Ionic Bonding, Intermolecular Forces, Polymers | Middle School, High School
Project: The Chemistry of Toys Mark as Favorite (23 Favorites)
In this project, students will study the chemistry behind a toy or novelty item of their choosing. They will look at the parts that make up their item and determine what materials each part is made of; the types of atoms, molecules, and bonds present in those materials; and their physical and chemical properties.
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Molecular Structure, Introduction, Matter | High School
Activity: Real World Particle Diagramming Mark as Favorite (73 Favorites)
In this activity, students illustrate everyday objects on the particulate level. To do this, students pick an object around the school (or their home) and then take a picture of the object, research its composition, and draw a particle diagram representation of the object. This helps students to gain confidence in representing matter at a particulate level by starting with familiar objects.
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Experimental Design, Scientific Method, Graphing, Observations | Middle School, High School
Lab: Mentos and Soda Investigations Mark as Favorite (22 Favorites)
In this lab, students will design their own experiment in which they manipulate a variable that relates to Mentos and soda. Students will generate a testable question, design an experiment, collect and analyze the data and present their findings.
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Heat of Vaporization , Boiling Point, Intermolecular Forces, Phase Changes, Heating Curve, Heat of Combustion, Temperature, Specific Heat, Observations, Chemical Change, Physical Change | Middle School, High School
Demonstration: Cooking an Egg in Chemistry Class Mark as Favorite (7 Favorites)
In this demonstration, students will observe the very high latent heat of vaporization for water by boiling water over a Bunsen burner in a paper cup to cook a boiled egg. The discussion can be extended to incorporate intermolecular forces to explain the unusually high boiling point of water, as well as heat of vaporization and specific heat capacity.
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Solubility, Solute & Solvent, Precipitate, Mixtures, Error Analysis, Chemical Change, Physical Change, Observations, Identifying an Unknown, Graphing | Middle School, High School
Lab: Chemicals, Chromatography, and Crime! Mark as Favorite (49 Favorites)
In this lab, students will test “evidence” that has been collected from a crime scene. In order to determine if the victim was poisoned, students will perform a solubility and crystallization test on an unknown powder. Then, students will attempt to identify the culprit by using paper chromatography to analyze the lipstick from the potential criminals.
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Periodic Table, Elements, Review, Atomic Radius, Ions, Ionization Energy, Atomic Mass | High School
Activity: Reviewing the Periodic Table and Periodic Trends Mark as Favorite (64 Favorites)
In this activity, students will use their knowledge of the periodic table and periodic trends to add fictional elements to a periodic table based on their properties. Once the elements are in the correct place they will reveal a hidden message. This review activity will help students prepare for a summative assessment such as a unit test or final exam.
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Review, Culminating Project, Mixtures, Separating Mixtures, Beer's Law, Concentration, Redox Reaction, Half Reactions, pH, Titrations, Buffers, Indicators, Ionic Bonding, Covalent Bonding, Alloys, Percent Composition, Le Châtelier's Principle, Enthalpy, Calorimetry, Conductivity | High School
Lesson Plan: AP Chemistry Experimental Evidence Review Mark as Favorite (38 Favorites)
In this lesson, students will evaluate data from 16 simulated lab experiments that were designed to mirror the Recommended Labs from the College Board. Corresponding lab experiments and demonstration options have also been included for teacher reference.
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History | High School
Activity: Evaluating the Name Reactions in Chemistry Mark as Favorite (4 Favorites)
In this activity, students will discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion in chemistry by exploring name reactions in organic chemistry. Students will engage in preliminary reflection, then listen to the podcast, Should organic chemistry’s name reactions go the way of the mouth pipet? from C&EN, and then share their perspective on a discussion board.
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Atomic Radius, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, History, Inferences | Middle School, High School
Lesson Plan: Indirectly Measuring the Atom Mark as Favorite (20 Favorites)
In this lesson, students will try to determine the radius of one circle and the total area of multiple circles on a piece of paper by indirect measurement. They will relate this to the experiment done by Ernest Rutherford in which he bombarded a gold foil with Alpha particles.
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Activity Series, Chemical Change, Electrons, Electron Transfer, Balancing Equations, Chemical Change, Predicting Products, Observations, Acid Base Reactions | High School
Simulation: Metals In Aqueous Solutions Mark as Favorite (108 Favorites)
In this activity, students will run simulated tests of various metals in aqueous solutions to determine the relative reactivity of these metals. A total of eight metals will be observed in various combinations with the corresponding metal nitrate solutions and hydrochloric acid. Students will interpret the data collected to construct an activity series of the elements used in this simulation.
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Activity Series, Electrons, Electron Transfer, Balancing Equations, Predicting Products, Chemical Change, Chemical Change, Observations | High School
Activity: Simulation Activity: Metals in Aqueous Solutions Mark as Favorite (10 Favorites)
In this activity, students will run simulated tests of various metals in aqueous solutions to determine the relative reactivity of these metals. A total of eight metals will be observed in various combinations with the corresponding metal nitrate solutions and hydrochloric acid. Students will interpret the data collected to construct an activity series of the elements used in this simulation.
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Molecular Structure, Chemical Properties | High School
Lesson Plan: The Chemistry of Vaccines Mark as Favorite (40 Favorites)
In this lesson, students will read the article, Can a Vaccine End the Pandemic? by Wynne Parry from the December 2020 edition of ChemMatters magazine. Students will answer questions based on the content of the article and also have the opportunity to do additional research. Finally, they will create a podcast discussing the chemistry of vaccines.