CHEMISTRY OUTREACH PROGRAM

(1) Acid-base chemistry

• Relates acids and bases to the pH scale using universal indicator

• Chemical reactions can result in color changes

• Dry ice is solid CO2 (states of matter) that is weakly acidic in solution

(2) Blue bottle

• Methylene blue is a common dye and stain with many biological and chemical applications

• Methylene blue reacts with oxygen to become blue in solution

• Chemical reactions can result in color changes

• Redox reaction: glucose enolate reacts with methylene blue; methylene blue gets reduced and the solution becomes colorless

(3) Four color clock reaction

• Oscillation/clock redox reaction

• Chemical equilibrium

• Chemical reactions can result in color changes

(4) Silver mirror

• Precipitate silver salt from silver nitrate to form a silver “mirror” by oxidizing sugar!

• Redox reaction

(5) Fluorescent chemistry

• Understanding the basics behind a glow stick using simple chemistry

• Chemical reactions can release energy in the form of light

(6) Phosphorescent chemistry

• Slower emission of light (compared to fluorescence)

(7) Liquid nitrogen

• States of matter can change with changes in temperature

• Major component of flowers is water; becomes frozen in liquid nitrogen

(8) Polymer chemistry

• Polymer: a repeating chemical unit to form useful materials

• Nylon: mix diamine and diacid, polymerize via condensation reactions (found in clothes!)

(9) Elephant toothpaste

2 H2O2 (aq) -> 2 H2O (l) + O2 (g)

 

• Rapidly decompose hydrogen peroxide, in soapy solution, using a KI catalyst to make a foamy explosion!

• Reaction catalysis and kinetics

• Exothermic reaction (releases heat energy)

(10)  Boiling water in liquid nitrogen

• How do two completely different temperature liquids behave with one another?

• Boiling water instantly forces N2 gas, and the cold N2 liquid freezes the water!