Experiment #1: Make a Saturated Copper Sulfate Solution
Materials:
Stir copper sulfate into very hot water until no more will dissolve. You can just pour the solution into a jar and wait a few days for crystals to grow, but if you grow a seed crystal, you can get much larger and better-shaped crystals.
Experiment #2: Magic trick using Chemistry
Materials:
Experiment #3: Weather or Not
Goal: This experiment shows the different phases of the water cycle, including evaporation and condensation.
Materials:
Repeat procedure given above, except reverse steps 2 and 3: Once the water is boiling remove the flask with an oven mitt from the hot plate. Put the balloon on the flask (be careful, the glass is hot!) Once the balloon is attached, put the flask back on the hot plate.
Materials:
- copper sulfate
- hot water
Stir copper sulfate into very hot water until no more will dissolve. You can just pour the solution into a jar and wait a few days for crystals to grow, but if you grow a seed crystal, you can get much larger and better-shaped crystals.
Experiment #2: Magic trick using Chemistry
Materials:
- Paraguayan guaraní
- tongs
- matches or a lighter
- salt (or one of these chemicals if you want a colored flame)
- solution of 50% alcohol and 50% water (you can mix 95% alcohol with water in a 1:1 ratio, if desired)
- Prepare the alcohol and water solution. You can mix 50 ml of water with 50 ml of 95-100% alcohol.
- Add a pinch salt or other colorant to the alcohol/water solution, to help produce a visible flame.
- Soak a dollar bill in the alcohol/water solution so that it is thoroughly wet.
- Use tongs to pick up the bill. Allow any excess liquid to drain. Move the damp bill away from the alcohol-water solution.
- Light the bill on fire and allow it to burn until the flame goes out.
Experiment #3: Weather or Not
Goal: This experiment shows the different phases of the water cycle, including evaporation and condensation.
Materials:
- 250mL Erlenmeyer flask
- 25mL graduated cylinder
- Medium-sized party balloon
- 5mL of water
- Hot Plate
- Oven Mitt
- Bucket or large beaker with ice and water
- Place about 5mL of water into a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask.
- Place the open end of the balloon over the mouth of the Erlenmeyer flask.
- Heat the flask on a hot plate until the water boils. Do not boil all the water away. (The hot plate setting should be 4.)
- After several minutes, use a towel or oven mitt to remove the flask from the hot plate.
- Hot the flask standing upright in ice water.
- Reheat and re-cool as desired to observe.
Repeat procedure given above, except reverse steps 2 and 3: Once the water is boiling remove the flask with an oven mitt from the hot plate. Put the balloon on the flask (be careful, the glass is hot!) Once the balloon is attached, put the flask back on the hot plate.