Friday, January 30, 2004
Growing Crystals - Troubleshooting Common Problems
It's easier to navigate the periodic table and write chemical equations and formulae once you know the symbols for the elements. Here's an alphabetical list of element symbols with the corresponding element name.
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Element Symbols
Are you having trouble growing crystals? Before you throw out your solution, read this list of common problems and fixes.
Tuesday, January 28, 2004
How to Grow Great Crystals
Do you want to grow crystals, but you aren't sure where to start or what to do to make sure your crystals turn out well? Here's some basic information on crystal growing. I've provided links to recipes so you can start growing crystals. These instructions are general, so if your recipe calls for something special (like no vibrations or dark), be sure to follow those directions, too.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
Chemistry Glossary Update
The following definitions have been added to the Chemistry Glossary: cation, temperature, tetrahedral, theoretical yield, thermal, thermodynamics, titration, translational energy, triangular bipyramid, triple bond, and vapor.
Friday, January 23, 2004
You & Your Cat & Mad Cow Disease
Do you think you have a handle on the Mad Cow Disease issue? Here's a detailed guest article, written by microbiologist Eve Riser-Roberts, Ph.D., that may shake things up a bit for you. Although the article is slanted toward dangers in pet food, it contains a lot of controversial information pertaining to human risk and infection.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
What Is Chemistry?
Here's the long and short answer to this Frequently Asked Question.
Make Frozen Bubbles
Use dry ice to freeze bubbles solid so that you can pick them up and examine them closely. You can use this project to demonstrate several scientific principles, such as density, interference, semipermeability, and diffusion.
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Science Project Ideas - Food & Cooking Chemistry
More ideas... one of my kids is doing the soda spewing project even as I type!
Science Project Ideas - Household Products
I've added a couple of ideas (thanks to my kids having to do projects this semester).
Boyle's Law
Here's an introduction to Boyle's Law, as well as a worked example problem and links to related resources.
Chemistry 101
The Chemistry 101 index has been updated to include new features and information.
Friday, January 16, 2004
Why the Flu Vaccine Doesn't Work
A new study conducted by the CDC indicates that getting the flu vaccine doesn't protect you against cold, flu-like illness, or even the flu. Surprised? Here are some reasons why the vaccine may not work.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Astatine and Darmstadtium
I've updated the Periodic Table entries for the elements astatine and element 110 (ununnilium or dardstadtium, depending on your naming preference).
Sunday, January 11, 2004
Types of Crystals - Shapes & Structures
Let's take a look at the two main ways to categorize crystal types. I've described the major crystal structures (e.g., triclinic, hexagonal) and how crystals are classified by their properties (e.g., ionic, covalent) and provided links so that you can see examples of crystal types and learn more about crystallography.
Thursday, January 8, 2004
What High School Courses are Needed for a College Chemistry Major?
Are you a middle school or high school student contemplating a college major in chemistry? Here's a look at some of the courses that can help you with your goal!
Sunday, January 4, 2004
Searching for Extraterrestrial Life
There's some serious chemistry involved in the search for life on other planets (or gas clouds or asteroids or comets). However, other disciplines come into play as well, such as robotics, aeronautics, biology, geology, and economics. Here's an overview of how we search for ETs.
Thursday, January 1, 2004
Units of Measurement Hangman Game
This is a challenging hangman game where the words are all units of measurement. I've provided links to tables that list units to help you think of words or so you can find out more about the units.
