Chemistry may be summed up as the study of matter and the processes that lead to change. That description is rather dull and ignores the thrill and enjoyment that come with studying chemistry.
You encounter chemistry everywhere; it explains baking and the reasons why an apple gets brown when sliced open. Some magic tricks and vibrant explosions include chemistry as their secret ingredient.
As a result, avoid utilizing textbooks when teaching students or young children about chemistry since this topic is best understood by observation and practical experimentation.
Heat Can Be Produced via Chemical Reaction?
The next experiment demonstrates how a chemical process may generate heat.
Resources Required:
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
- Stirring stick
- Temperature gauge
- A bowl
How to Do It
- Place the thermometer into the liquid after adding the peroxide to the bowl.
- Wait until the temperature has steadied for a few minutes.
- The children should note this beginning temperature.
- Now ask them to predict what will occur and if a chemical or physical change will take place.
- Add the yeast, then whisk. The liquid should begin to bubble and fizz, which is a sign that a chemical reaction is occurring. However, remind the students to keep an eye on the thermometer.
- To really feel the temperature shift, they may also touch the bowl’s outside.
At the conclusion, have them take a temperature reading. Were they accurate? What kind of change took place? What increased the temperature?
Experiment with Elephant Toothpaste
Finally, here is a task that may be performed by the children on a smaller size or as a demonstration. Elephant toothpaste is superior to the baking soda and vinegar mixture that explodes. Additionally, it provides an illustration of a process that generates a gas and is exothermic (emits heat).
Resources Required:
- A plastic drink bottle that is empty (about 16 oz)
- Hydrogen peroxide, 3% strength in the amount of 1/2 cup.
- 100 grams of yeast
- 1/4 cup of warm water
- Hand soap
- A cup
- Food coloring is optional.
How to Do It
- Adults: Fill the bottles with peroxide.
- Ask the students to add a few drops of food coloring to the peroxide bottles.
- Squirt in some dish soap, then shake the container to combine.
- Water and yeast should be combined in the cup after a brief period of stirring.
- Watch what happens when they add the yeast to the container containing the peroxide.
They can feel the foam and see the heat produced after the reaction is finished. They noticed what, exactly? What signs indicate a chemical shift had place?
Warm Ice
Teach the creation of heated ice to your pupils! Baking soda and vinegar combine to create sodium acetate, a chemical. This is referred to as “hot ice.” Use common household items for this simple and secure experiment.
Resources Required
- 4 cups of acetic acid-based white vinegar
- 4 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
- A pot
- A heat-safe glass mason jar or glass measuring cup
- A dish
- A fork
How to Do It
- Measure out 4 cups of vinegar after gathering all the necessary materials.
- It should go into a medium pot.
- Once all of the baking soda has dissolved and the mixture has stopped fizzing, continue stirring.
- You should decrease the solution by approximately 75%, or until you have around 3/4 to 1 cup, then boil it for a little more than an hour. The color of your solution may change to yellow-brown if you boil it at a higher temperature. Fear not; the experiment will still succeed.
- Next, put the glass pyrex measuring cup with the concentrated sodium acetate in the refrigerator to chill.
- Then remove a little amount of the dry sodium acetate powder from the pot’s inside for later use.
- The mixture cools down to the point where ice may form after around 30-45 minutes. The solution will still be liquid when you first remove it. It becomes ice when it is poured over a surface. So, take a glass plate, and in the middle, add a tiny mound of the sodium acetate powder from the saucepan (This act as a seed for the crystals to start forming on).
There will emerge a pillar of hazy ice. Ask your kids or pupils to speculate on the cause of this.
Therefore, there are many different kinds of chemical reactions that are accessible. You can discover many different types of chemical processes worksheet from this site.