The High School Laboratory
Teacher Recommended and Developed and/or Requested
Demonstrations,
Labs and Laboratory Resources
Michael Horton's Selected
Sample (Draft) Take Home Labs (aka Lab in a Box) Activities for Physical
Science
Soon to be available in full edition from the NSTA
LAB ACTIVITIES
(See the Holiday Labs
Contributed too)
LABORATORY DEMONSTRATIONS
LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS
Fall '06
WOODROW WILSON NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP FOUNDATION
LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IN CHEMISTRY ~ LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS
Please note that we have received temporary authorization to post these labs until they are available
to teachers on CD as the documents are no longer available online in the Foundation archives.
LABORATORY SAFETY
LABORATORY TECHNIQUES CHECKLIST
ONLINE LAB LINKS
PREPACKAGED LAB KIT REVIEWS AND EVALUATIONS
Email Suggested Demonstrations and Experiments to cts@csun.edu for posting.
DEMONSTRATIONS
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ACS Doing Chemistry Project - Online Demonstration notes and keyword searches
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http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/demos/
~ P.M., Indiana
This is George Bodner's page, and it is wonderful. You have a choice of small or large size
quick-time videos for each demo along with the appropriate equations for each.
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http://www.rsc.org/pdf/uchemed/papers/2001/p3_bodner.pdf ~ P. M., Indiana
Here is George's paper on exocharmic reactions. It was in the journal of the Royal Society
last year.
 Scientific Observation - AKA The Raisin Thing (pdf file) ~J.B., California
I open my classes with this simple demonstration which brings home the importance of
accurately describing a scientific observation.
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Sampling of Equilibrium Demo or Mini Lab Activities
~C.B.,Unk
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Lecture Demos, U of Illinois - These are fabulous video lecture demonstrations which are
available in quicktime, Windows media player or still .jpg files from the Learning Center of
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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The Science Room Teacher Demonstrations (most of these are rather dangerous!) Howe
High School, Howe, OK
We share these for use by Qualified Science Educators Only. Some have inherent safety
problems that must be provided for. We have room for the demonstration outline only. You
must assume the responsibility for the safety and success of your own demonstration.
Semester I Demonstrations Semester II Demonstrations
**No Longer Accessible 3-07
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Lee Marek's Chemical Demonstrations Online
LAB ACTIVITIES
Acids and Bases
 Alka SeltzerR
Rainbow - ChemFax Demonstration (Flinn Scientific)
 ANTacid - Acids and Bases Activity
This is very cute and fun for lower chemistry levels and can get the kids out of the
classroom on a nice day. Students make their own indicator paper and test ants for formic
acid. This can be planned as a two-day activity with a shortened day schedule.
 Buffer Balancing Acts - ChemFax Demonstration (Flinn Scientific)
 Quality Control at the Pickle Factory: ~P.M., Indiana
I will be discussing titrations and acid/base stoichiometry with my AP Chem classes in the
next few weeks. I have found the following URL for labs entitled Quality Control at the Pickle
Factory
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Soap Making (MS Word doc file)
~SJS, New Hampshire
I asked our General Chemistry lab director Jeudi Davis [jdavis@keene.edu] if she would
share her new soap lab that I remembered her raving about with respect to how well it
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works, and what a nice soap it makes. She graciously sent it along. There is a story with
this lab: One of our chemistry majors, Juan Cueva, is from Ecuador, and when he went
home for Christmas break, knowing that Jeudi was looking for a better soap lab, he found
an old soap-making book, and copied the recipe used in this lab. Of course he translated
the directions from the original Spanish, and had to make major adjustments of scale in
order for it to work as a lab. He also found that the pH of the fresh product was very high-12--and followed that with time, finding that it finally dropped to pH 8 after a week or more.
SAFETY CONCERNS: I still have some safety/health concerns about anyone's doing
this with high school students, since it uses NaOH as a 50% by weight solution, and that as
you are well aware is a very dangerous substance, especially vs. the eyes. Jeudi says that
she uses a pump dispenser set to deliver the proper amount, so that there is little to no
splashing, and students are not pouring the solution. We do not know how it would work
using a weaker NaOH solution. For high school students, it would probably be wise to
have the teacher dispense the NaOH directly into the students' melted coconut oil.
The high pH of the finished product also needs some very careful supervision too, of
course. IMPORTANT: The next day, remove the soaps from the mini-muffin pans and
invert the soaps onto suitable plastic dishes so that the surface formerly in the pan will be
on top. Do not touch the wet surface, since the wet film is the very strong NaOH solution.
Disposable plastic gloves could help a lot here if the students are to do this step. An iron
rule that the product is not to be used for three weeks after preparation would also seem to
be prudent, since the pH was around 9 even a week or two after the original synthesis.
The following of the pH with time could be a useful exercise, involving a personal
appreciation for the kinetics of organic reactions, as well as the pH measuring aspect itself.
MATERIALS: Coconut oil can be purchased at a health foods or "organic" store. We use
50% w/w NaOH rather than the pellets, which can be tricky to dissolve. She and Juan tried
many different recipes from various lab manuals and soap-making books, but this one has
a huge advantage of simplicity, not requiring mixtures of oils, fats, etc., or further chemicals,
e.g. alcohol. They found that other recipes using peanut oil [a dangerous allergen for
some people] lard, etc. produced very poor soaps, as well as being complex to
use.
Tie-Dying Activity through Flinn Scientific
Atomic and Molecular Structure
Chemical Analysis
 Household Chemicals ~ B. K, New York

White Power Lab from Middle School Science:
http://www.middleschoolscience.com/myspow.html

Know It All Forensics Lab and Lesson Plan: "Eye Wonder"
http://www.knowitall.org/instantreplay/files/gearup_for/Forensics%20Powder%20Lab.pdf

Beginning Analysis
What Chemists Do: Identification and Analysis - White Powder Identification

Quantitative Determination of Sodium Bicarbonate in Alka Seltzer

Second Quarter Laboratory Evaluation: Analysis of Alka Seltzer(provided by Flinn
Scientific)
Chemical Bonds
 Patterns in Electron Configurations and the Periodic Table ~ C. J., Texas
(right click to download this Word Document)
I use this worksheet to help the students find periodic patterns in electron configuration. I
originally used a longer version, but found that this brought them to the same conclusions in
less time. I do this after covering the concept of electron configuration using an energy
chart to determine the orbital order. Then, I tell them that they don't have to memorize the
chart because the periodic table tells them the correct order to use. You'll need a periodic
table that shows the valence configuration (many textbooks have this on the cover). After
the students work through the activity in groups, we discuss the results as a class. I hope it
helps!
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Molecular Geometry Worksheet - (Marshmallow Lab) Worksheet Key ~J.B., California
I do a Molecular Geometry Lab using large marshmallows (central atom), small
marshmallows (substituent atoms) and toothpicks (bonds) to get the kids involved in 3-D
manipulation and application of VSEPR.. I lead the students through construction of each of
the basic structures and the resulting structures due the existence of unbonded electron
pairs in the lab activity form. Students then use the form as a study
guide.
Polarity Activities ~ P.M., Indiana
(right click to download this Word Document)
Contains three activities; 1) solubility in different solvents 2) capillary action 3) hydrogen
bonding
IR Spectrophotometry Activity - ~J.B., California
Versions A, B and C (MS Word)
This IR Spec Activity is based on actual data I collected. Students are to plot the
absorbance and frequency readings and compare peaks (pointing down) to the given chart
identifying the bond in their unknown substance and then comparing them with the three
possible structures. The answers are in hidden text at the top of the page.
Chemical Equilibrium
 Sampling of Equilibrium Demo or Mini Lab Activities
(download this zip file)
Chemical Thermodynamics
Conservation of Matter and Stoichiometry
~C.B.,Unk

Sweet 16 Chemistry Compound Tournament (Flinn Scientific)
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Sweet 16 Chemistry Ion Tournament (Flinn Scientific)

Candy Cane Lab ~ Holiday Lab
Construction of Varigated Disaccharide "J" Tubes
~ J.S., Indiana

"Keep You Eye on the Ions"-Double Replacement Model Demonstration (Flinn
Scientific)

Peanut Brittle Lab ~ Holiday Lab
Partial Thermal Degradation of Carbon Dioxide formed Disaccharides with Protein
Inclusions
~J.B., California via J.J., Florida
AKA Peanut Brittle Lab (MS Word)
My students LOVE this lab which is traditionally done on the last day prior to Winter Break. I
tell them nothing, handout the procedure and label each of the reagents on the counter for
them to weigh out and carefully measure. I do my very best to obscure the identity of the
reagents (even tried dying the "protein inclusions"...it didn't work).
Popcorn Labs
Popcorn Labs as found on the internet February 2003 per member request.
S'Mores: An Introduction to Chemical Equations, Stoichiometry and Limiting
Reactants
(doc file) (pdf file) (wps file)
One of my students' favorite labs is the S'mores lab (attached). It applies to balancing
equations, mole ratios, stoichiometry, & limiting reactants. I use it as an intro to get the
concepts of stoichiometry across. We roast marshmallows over Bunsen burners --use no
normal lab equipment, that way they can eat them. That, of course, is why it is their favorite
lab. They also generally understand the calculations.
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Electrochemistry
 Electrochemistry: Electroplating, Coloring and Etching of Metals (pdf file)
Holiday Lab

This is from Wellesley College and is quite nicely written.
Electroplating Zinc on Copper (MSWord)
~ R.A., Texas
Holiday Lab
Upon completion of this lab you should be able to describe the process of electroplating, identify the anode
and cathode and what is occurring at each in terms of oxidation and reduction, identify the products of
electroplating, write balanced half-reactions representing what is happening at each of the electrodes, predict
changes in mass and concentration over time, and propose explanations for these changes, diagram the
electroplating system, identifying the components, the cathode and the anode, the positive and negative poles,
flow of electrons and the flow of ions. A GREAT HOLIDAY LAB!
(NOTE: The copper surface can be cleaned with vinegar and salt to avoid using nitric acid if you do not have
a hood, and designs can be drawn directly on the metal surface using a Sharpie permanent marker which can
be removed after plating with isopropyl alcohol to avoid having to use single-edged razor blades and masking
tape - JFB)
Gases and Their Properties
 Gas Laws Lab Activities ~ P.M., Indiana
Mole Concept
 Molarity : Kool Aide Lab ~ P.M., Indiana
Teaching Molarity through a Taste Test (Non lab environment)
Nuclear Processes
Organic and Biochemistry
Reaction Rates and Kinetics
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Candle Burning - Zero Order Reaction
Kinetics of Burette Draining
Pasco Reaction Rates Lab
~ P. Mason, Indiana
~ P. Mason, Indiana
(altered/revised 2000 by P. Mason)
Solutions

Freezing Point Depression Lab (pdf file) ~B.H., Indiana
Freezing Point Depression Lab (MW Word Document)
I have attached a lab that I use with my 2nd year chem students. If you accept pretty lousy
numerical results (percent errors as high as 50% or more), it's OK. It lets them calculate a
molar mass from a freezing point depression without working with toxic chemicals. By the
way, because of the long time required to measure the melting curve, I usually have 1 lab
team do the pure water and another do the solution. They exchange data afterward.
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Ice Cream in a Baggie ~J.P., California
(pdf file)
Standard Freezing Point Lab - simple recipe calls for the use of a zip-loc bag within a zip-loc
bag.
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More Recommended Ice Cream Labs:
Finding Science in Ice Cream - Complete with History and Full Food Science Vocabulary University of Guelph, Ontario
Salt: The Essence of Life - Chemical Reactions of NaCl - Excellent chemistry concept
applications
~D.B., Indiana
I especially like the food science link because it discusses terms like stabilizer, emulsion,
hydrophobic, flocculate. I use the article in a physical science class. I pass the article out in
a lab where we make ice cream using baggies. As a homework assignment students take
the article home and make lists of the words they don't understand and then look up and
write down the definitions. Even with a dictionary, not all the definitions are comprehensible
so we then discuss the meanings of the words in our next class. Sometimes I'll even do
follow on activities where ingredients are omitted to see what effect that has on the resulting
product from a chemistry point of view (everyone knows a priori that ice cream without sugar
tastes awful but they don't always know what effect it has on the consistency of the final
product - so one might try artificial sweetener instead of sugar for example). Students enjoy
the lab activity because it relates technical things to something they know about, and more
important, it relates to something they like. I especially like the ice cream lab because it
makes a good way to transition from physical properties/ thermodynamics to chemistry.
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We All Scream for Ice Cream! Chemistry Lab Experiment (MS Word) ~E.K., New Jersey
I do this ice cream lab with my students each year to celebrate Mole Day. We use zip-lock
bags filled with milk, sugar, and vanilla mixture which we put into water-tight refrigerator
plastic jars filled with ice and salt. The students roll the jar back-and-forth on the tables
between them until the mixture in the bag freezes. It takes about 15 minutes if done
correctly.
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12 Labs of Christmas (or other Holiday Lab Activities) Holiday Labs
Blazing Christmas Fire Copper Coats Glistening Glass
Golden Ornaments from Copper Magic Christmas Colors Poster
Milk and Cookies Molecular gems Poinsettia Power
Rudolph's Nose Shrinking Your Christmas
Silver Bells Snow globes The Christmas Tree
~ Author Unknown, Unknown Submitter
LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS
Teacher Recommended Labs

Flinn Scientific Labs (permission granted for Chemistry Teacher Support Group~March
2007)
 Alka SeltzerR
Rainbow - ChemFax Demonstration
 Buffer Balancing Acts - ChemFax Demonstration
 Disappearing Aluminum Can
 "Keep You Eye on the Ions"-Double Replacement Model Demonstration
 Second Quarter Laboratory Evaluation: Analysis of Alka Seltzer
 Sweet 16 Chemistry Compound Tournament
 Sweet 16 Chemistry Ion Tournament

Check out the new Searchable Journal of ChemEd Project ChemLab Database
note: You do not have to be a member to utilize this database

Interdisciplinary Labs from the Salt Institute
Check out the Chemistry, Biology, Nutrition, Earth Science, History/Geography, Agriculture,
Economics Interdisciplinary Labs and Projects.

Science in Motion Online Labs ~P.M., Indiana
just found the unbelieveable list of lab links on the web. I feel I hit the jackpot on this one. I
hope you can use it too!
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All My Labs (MS Word doc file) ~E.R., Texas
I'm including eleven labs that I have set up for my chemistry classes along with some
teacher information for them. I hope it's helpful. Look through them, I make a lot of speeling
mistakes, uh spelling mistakes. And try them out first, as always. I'm enjoying all the
information and figured I should try to add
something.
1.
Physical and Chemical Changes
2. Measurement and Density
3. Atomic Structure
4. Half-Life Simulation
5. Formula Writing and Chemical Names
6. Waters of Crystallization
7. Mass Relations in a Chemical Reaction
8. Changes in Physical State
9. Ideal Gas Law
10. Solubility Curve of a Salt
11. Neutralization and Titration with Acid and Base
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High School Lessons and Experiments - Rohm and Haas Company: provides lesson plans
and experiments in HTML or PDF format for topics in biology, environmental science,
chemistry, physical science, and physics. The chemistry labs cover biodegradability, a
comparison of liquids, chromatography, pollution, oxidation, adhesion, and esters.

Partial Thermal Degradation of Carbon Dioxide formed Disaccharides with Protein
Inclusions
Holiday Lab
AKA Peanut Brittle Lab (MS Word)

White Powders Lab: The Case of the Christmas Cookie Mystery At Science Spot:
Holiday Lab
http://sciencespot.net/Media/cookiemys.pdf
http://sciencespot.net/Media/cookiemys2.pdf (Teacher Notes)
Lab Practicals
The Ten Solution Problem and Student Evaluation Form ~R.A., Texas
and Evaluation Rubric (MS Word doc)
We do a quarter long project with our honors kids that basically does this for ten solutions. I
am enclosing the handouts for that. We make them come up with everything they might
need. They must do the majority of the project on their own time, with only a few lab periods
devoted to it in class.
Teacher note: We pretty much choose seven to ten soluble ionic salts that we have lots of in
the stock room! We use 0.25 to 0.5 M solutions, depends on the stock we have. I am
enclosing our evaluation rubric that we used that has the identities of the solutions we used
some year, not sure which one. We switched it this year to have set ups with dropping
bottles of all the solutions, ten sets. That way we could have no more than ten groups
working at the same time. Before we tried to give each group their own chemicals in
pipettes. Got too crazy with
refills.
Lab Final
School Chemistry Lab Final with Excel Spreadsheet ~H.O., California
(Zip file - Word and Excel documents)
The lab attached is determining the molarity of an HCl solution using calcium carbonate. I
like this as a cumulative lab experience because students have to come up with their own
procedure, determine the reaction that occurs and calculate a quantitative answer. It also
allows me to assign a different molarity to each lab group so they can't fake their data.
Students really like it because they get to work together (groups of 3) and most do very well.
To help in grading I created an Excel spreadsheet that does the student calculations. I
plugged in their data, and could check their calculations quickly. It also allowed me to make
sure no more than three students had the same data. I've attached both the lab and the
Excel sheet with some actual data from a couple of years ago (some good, some not so
good.)
High
Lab Links
Lab Archive at Everett Community College ~ looking for a lab?
Computer-Based Labs Online
NMR & IR Online at UCLA
Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs) - A Link to Real Lab Applications
*Student Information on GLPs
*Industrial Background Links and Information on GLPs
(no longer active: was http://www.glpguru.com/)