Introduction

My department, my research group, and I have had a deep interest in educating young people and the general public about the benefits and fun of chemistry. The chemistry aids and information that are on this website are suitable for a wide audience. Some of these materials were developed with support from the National Science Foundation (Career Grant CHE-9624114), some by a Teaching Innovation Grant from the University of Arkansas, and the rest were compiled by students and faculty with additional support of the University of Arkansas.

The Demonstrations Manual evolved from the need to provide a visual display of the chemical concepts that I taught in a freshman chemistry course for non-science majors at the University of Arkansas. Ms. Mary Boswell, an undergraduate student of Chemistry at the University developed and compiled the Manual. Many of the demonstrations were also used during our National Chemistry Week demonstration activities at the local shopping mall, which attracted interest from grade-school children as well as adults. The University of Arkansas Section of the American Chemical Society received a national award for best mall event that year (the Phoenix Award, 1996). In addition, many of the demonstrations require items that can be found around the home, so almost anyone can perform them!

Nomenclature Study Aids

Nomenclature Diagram: Acids, NonAcids

A topic that beginning chemistry students at the high school and college levels find difficult is nomenclature (naming of chemical compounds). After teaching freshman college students for several years, I put together some study aids to help them learn nomenclature. One is a table that categorizes different compounds and lists their names (Nomenclature Diagram). A second is a summary of what kinds of compounds can have certain prefixes and suffixes (A Different Approach…). A third is an interactive exercise where names are given and a formula must be identified, and visa versa (Study Aid).

The Helpful Hints for Science Fair Projects and Presentations developed out of a collaboration that I had with a high school/junior high school faculty. Those aids would also be useful for working with grade-school children on science fair projects.

Chemistry Education Video Tapes (under construction)

The following video tapes are currently being edited and we hope to complete them sometime in the next year (2000). They should be available in the year 2000. Please contact Ingrid Fritsch (ifritsch@uark.edu) for inquiries.

Student Chemistry Demonstrations

Freshman non-science majors perform demonstrations of chemical concepts.

Coffee and Caffeine: A Perk for A Price

This video shows how chemistry is all around us and anyone can ask important scientific questions. Three college students studying late at night for an exam stumble upon the question: where can they get the least expensive cup of coffee with the most caffeine? The students use the scientific method to answer this question. They carry out the analysis of coffee from three locations (a gas station, a fast-food restaurant, and a gourmet coffee shop) in town. (Which source would you expect to contain the most caffeine?) Samples from these sources are analyzed to determine the highest caffeine content. The students also discuss the social nature of coffee and the effect of caffeine in the diet.