CHEMISTRY ACTIVITIES
Times listed for each lab activity are approximate times. Times include set-up/take down of
equipment and discussion of data collected. Lengthy labs can be spread over several days.
Quantitative analysis of vitamin C in food and drink - Students use a known concentration of
vitamin C (vitamin C tablets or ascorbic acid) to prepare a serial dilution. A spectrophotometer is
used to prepare and absorption curve (standard curve) and students use their graph to identify the
amount of vitamin C in an unknown. Time 60-70 minutes.
Nuclear medicine lab – Use of the radiation monitor to scan the head of a mock patient to locate a
brain tumor. Students use the monitor to search for a “hot spot” created by absorption of a
radioisotope into the tumor. Time 30 minutes.
Investigating energy levels of hydrogen – Balmer series – Use of the spectroscope to calculate the
wavelengths of the bright-line spectrum produced by hydrogen. Time 50-60 minutes.
Exploring light – Students use spectrometers to investigate emission, absorption, and continuous
spectra. Light sources include an incandescent bulb, fluorescent tube, and elemental spectra tubes
(H2, He, and Ne). Time 50-60 minutes.
Stellar spectroscopy – This lab demonstrates one application of spectroscopy. Students are
provided the Balmer lines of hydrogen from the spectra of a star. The wavelengths observed in the
star are compared to the wavelengths produced by a hydrogen gas discharge tube observed through a
spectroscope in lab. The differences in wavelengths are used to calculate the radial velocity of the
star. Time 45-50 minutes.
Criminalistics (Forensic Science) - A Powerpoint program takes students through a mock crime
scene, including diagrams of the crime scene, police reports, suspect interviews, etc. Evidence that
has been collected at the crime scene is then analyzed by students. Once students have analyzed all
of the evidence, they file an arrest warrant against one or more of the suspects. Evidence analyses
include hair analysis, fingerprint analysis, blood typing, DNA fingerprinting, drug testing using thinlayer chromatography, pill analysis using a PDR, and liquid analysis using a gas chromatograph.
This is an excellent lab for a combined chemistry/biology/physics group of students. Time 3-4
hours. There is no written lab for this activity.
Van de Graff generator- The generator can be used to illustrate static electricity, demonstrate a
lightning bolt, make a student’s hair stand up, etc. A great demo!
Cosmic ray cloud chamber- Students observe hundreds of cosmic rays every minute. This chamber
can be used to illustrate why scientists need the deep underground mine at Homestake. (Requires dry
ice)- once set up, this demo will last all day- great for chemistry and physics students.
CSI- The black widow case- Students prepare serial dilutions of a drug and use spectrometers to
measure the concentration of the drug to determine if a crime was committed. Time 60-70 minutes.
Methods of analysis in science- This lab is best done as stations in a classroom. Students perform a
variety of analyses using spectroscopes, gas chromatograph, electrophoresis, pH probes,
conductivity probes, thin-layer chromatography, and radiation monitors.
Dynamic demonstrations- Numerous demonstrations that illustrate various concepts of science.
(See a detailed description in Lab Activity List #2 binder- #29.) Time 45 minutes.
LAB ACTIVITIES USING VERNIER LAB PRO SENSORS (from the Vernier manual
Chemistry with Computers.)
Experiment # and title:
1. Endothermic and exothermic reactions – Use of the temperature probe to measure
temperature changes when various chemicals are added to water. Time 45-50 minutes.
2. Freezing and melting of water – Use of the temperature probe to measure the
freezing/melting temperature of water. Time 45-50 minutes.
3. Another look at freezing temperature – Use of the temperature probe to measure the
freezing point depression of two different chemicals. Time 45-50 minutes.
4. Heat of fusion for ice – Use of the temperature probe to determine the energy required to
melt one gram of ice. Time 50-60 minutes.
5. Find the relationship: An exercise in graphing analysis – This activity contains 25
problems where students use Logger Pro to graph a variety of mathematical relationships.
This is a good lab to teach students how to make and interpret graphs. Time 50-60 minutes.
6. Boyle’s Law: Pressure-volume relationship in gases – Use of the gas pressure sensor and a
20-mL syringe to discover the relationship between pressure and volume of gases. Time 3040 minutes.
7. Pressure-temperature relationship in gases – Use of the gas pressure sensor to discover
the relationship between pressure and temperature of gases (Charles’s Law). Time 40-50
minutes.
9. Evaporation and intermolecular attractions – Use of the temperature probe to measure the
rate of evaporation of various liquids and relate the rate of evaporation to the strength of
intermolecular forces of attraction. Time 45-50 minutes.
10. Vapor pressure of liquids – Use of the gas pressure sensor and temperature probe to
investigate the relationship between vapor pressure of a liquid and its temperature. Time 5060 minutes.
11. Determining the concentration of a solution: Beer’s law – Use of the Vernier colorimeter
(this lab can also be done with the Genesys 20 spectrophotometers) and NiSO4 solution to
develop a standard curve and to then use the graph to determine the concentration of an
unknown concentration of NiSO4. Food coloring can also be used for this lab. Time 50-60
minutes.
12. Effect of temperature on solubility of a salt – Use of the temperature probe to determine
the effect of temperature on the amount of solute that will dissolve in water. Time 45-50
minutes.
13. Properties of solutions: Electrolytes and nonelectrolytes – Use of the conductivity probe
to observe the behavior of ionic compounds, molecular compounds, and molecular acids in
aqueous solutions. Schools must provide the chemicals for this lab. Time 45-50 minutes.
14. Conductivity of solutions: The effect of concentration – Use of the conductivity probe to
study the effect of increasing the concentration of an ionic compound on conductivity. Time
45-50 minutes.
15. Using freezing point depression to find molecular weight – Use of the temperature probe
and the formula f m to find the molecular weight of benzoic acid. Time 45-50
minutes.
16. Energy content of foods – Use of the temperature probe and a simple calorimeter
(Styrofoam cup) to measure the energy released (in kJ/g) as various foods are burned.
Should be done in a well-ventilated classroom. Time 50-60 minutes
17. Energy content of fuels –Similar to #16 only using fuels such as paraffin wax and ethanol.
Time 50-60 minutes.
18. Additivity of heats of reaction: Hess’s Law – Use of the temperature probe and a simple
calorimeter to measure the heat released by three chemical reactions and to observe the
concept of additivity of heats of reaction. Schools must provide the chemicals for this lab.
Time 50-60 minutes.
19. Heat of combustion: Magnesium – Use of the temperature probe and a simple calorimeter
(Styrofoam cup) to determine a heat of reaction that would be difficult to obtain by direct
measurement. Time 45-50 minutes.
20. Chemical equilibrium: Finding a constant, Kc – Use of the Vernier colorimeter to
determine the equilibrium constant for the reaction Fe+3(aq) + SCN-1(aq)  FeSCN+2(aq)
Time 50-60 minutes.
21. Household acids and bases – Use of the pH probe, pH paper, and red cabbage juice to
measure the pH of common substances such as vinegar, ammonia, detergent, and baking
soda. Time 50-60 minutes.
22. Acid rain – Students produce four acids, carbonic, nitrous, nitric, and sulfurous. Students
use the pH probe to measure the change in pH as these acids are produced in water solution.
This would be an excellent lab for an environmental science unit in biology, earth science, or
in an environmental science class. Schools must provide the chemicals for this lab. Time
50-60 minutes.
23. Titration curves of strong and weak acids and bases – Use of the pH sensor and burettes
to combine acid and base combinations and measure pH changes as the solution reaches its
equivalence point. Schools must provide the chemicals for this lab. Time 50-60 minutes.
24. Acid-Base titration – Use of the pH sensor and burettes to determine the unknown
concentration of a solution of HCl. Time 45-50 minutes.
25. Titration of a diprotic acid: Identifying an unknown – Use of the pH probe and burettes
to identify an unknown diprotic acid by finding its molecular weight. Unknown acids
include oxalic, malonic, maleic, malic, and tartaric. Schools must provide the chemicals for
this lab. Time 50-60 minutes.
26. Using conductivity to find an equivalence end point – Use of the conductivity probe and
burettes to monitor conductivity during the reaction between sulfuric acid and barium
hydroxide in order to determine the equivalence point. Schools must provide the chemicals
for this lab. Time 50-60 minutes.
28. Establishing a table of reduction potentials: Micro-Voltaic cells – Use of the voltage
probe to establish the reduction potentials of five unknown metals relative to an arbitrarily
chosen metal by measuring the potential difference between various pairs of half-cells.
Time 50-60 minutes.
LAB ACTIVITIES USING THE VERNIER RADIATION MONITOR (from the Vernier manual
Nuclear Radiation with Computers and Calculators.)
All of the radiation labs use radiation sources that are safe for students. The alpha source is
Polonium-210, the beta source is Strontium-90, and the gamma source is Cobalt-60.
Experiment # and title:
1. Alpha, beta, and gamma – Students use the radiation monitor to measure the effect of
shielding on the various types of radiation. Shielding materials include such materials as paper,
cloth, cardboard, tin, and lead.
2. Distance and radiation – Students use the radiation monitor to measure the effect of distance on
the various types of radiation. Students then prepare graphs of their data.
Note: Labs 1 and 2 can be done simultaneously in 50-60 minutes.
6. Radiation shielding – Students use layers of cardboard and a radiation monitor to measure the
amount of beta radiation absorbed by the cardboard. Time 30-40 minutes.