Suggestions for Topics October 21, 2010

Hello blog readers and chemistry students all over the world!  I have had a lot of activity lately on my post on Empirical and Molecular Formulas.  However, I know you won’t all be learning about this all year so please post a comment to this and let me know of any other topics that you would like to see posts or tutorials about.  Please be as specific as possible and I thank you for your good ideas.  I enjoy helping you out and hope you appreciate the time I take to provide this free of charge. 

Remember, Saturday is Mole Day!  Celebrate with a chemistry teacher you love 🙂  Maybe get him/her a gift from one of my favorite Online Mole Stores.

I’m back! August 13, 2010

I took a year off from this blog and teaching all together to spend some time with family.  I am not back to full-time teaching but am back to answering questions.  I used to get emails when there were posts to my page so I could answer questions but for some reason those emails quit coming.  I just realized the other day that people have been posting questions and I haven’t been getting them for this whole year!  So sorry.  So, if you are someone interested in chemistry or are taking chemistry right now and you have questions, I can help you!  Please do not expect me to do your homework for you.  However, I am more than willing to work through a problem with you and answer specific questions.  I will also try to post some more help topics along the way.

Most high schools are headed back to school either now or really soon.  I would just like to say good luck to all of you experiencing that for the first time as well as those venturing into the wonderful world of studying chemistry!  You have great things to look forward to – chemical changes, fire, explosions, Mole Day, goggles, lab reports, etc.  Study hard and ask a lot of questions and you will be just fine!  Let me know if I can help 🙂

–Mrs. Berger

Happy Moon Day! July 20, 2009

The Beauty of Science – The Power of Pee July 19, 2009

The things people come up with just amaze me.  Wouldn’t road trips be so much better if stopping every few hours to “relieve yourself” and to gas up the car could be one in the same? 🙂  Check out this article at discovery.com about the “Power of Pee” and a related article at Popular Science.  Makes sense to me.  Nitrogen is not as electronegative as oxygen so releasing the hydrogen would require less energy.  The use of urea in this area just adds to the long line of uses the little organic molecule has – I am sure Friedrich Wöhler would be glad to see this little molecule doing so well!  From its uses in cigarette flavor enhancer, topical dermatological medicines, nitrocellulose explosives as a stabilizer, pretzels as a browning agent, to a component of animal feed to promote growth – now we can possibly add another use – pee power!  That’s just cool.

Physics Test Due Thursday April 22, 2009

When you get to the question about the Doppler Effect (#9, I think), it has been brought to my attention that I left out the temperature so you don’t know the speed of sound in air.  Just assume that it is 25 degrees Celsius for this problem.  Sorry about that!  Let me know if there are any other questions by posting a comment here, by email, or if you want me to meet you in the morning, please let me know tonight!

Side note: When you get done with your test, Discover Magazine has a website devoted to pictures of science tatoos.  Check it out!

Applied Chemistry Chromatography Lab Questions March 31, 2009

1. What is the stationary phase in this lab?
2. What is the mobile phase?
3. Calculate the Rf factors for each of your chromatography sheets.
4. What color dye tends to be most attracted to the water for each test?
5. What color dye tends to be most attracted to the paper for each test?

AP Chemistry for Friday, February 6, 2009 February 3, 2009

Welcome to the computer lab!  Due to some recent weather and health issues and my being gone to a conference, our schedule is being a bit adapted.  When I get back, we will review chapter 17 and have a test on this.  Then we will begin our Chapter 5 lessons.  If you have papers you need run off for copies, technology or materials you need provided, or know about how long your lesson is expected to take, pleast post a comment to this blogpost so I can start planning accordingly.  I will need two days advance notice for any copies you need to have made.

Today, you will use the computer lab to investigate further into redox chemistry and complete a mini project.  Please visit this site on electrochemistry for project ideas.  Click on the picture to get started.  There is a list of 15 ideas – there are 14 of you – so you should each have a different topic.  Sign up with the sub.  Then research your topic and compose a powerpoint presentation of 5-10 slides (no more – no less) including a title slide and works cited slide.  Save your presentation just inside your network folder.  Name it “yourlastnameredox” so mine would be “bergerredox”.

Pay special attention to the “key points” listed at the bottom of the page.  Be sure to include these in your slides.  These are due on Tuesday.  You should have time to get done during class if you use your time wisely.  🙂

Over the weekend, you should begin studying for your test next week.  You can use this site by going back to the first page and clicking on the links at the top for discussion and practice on voltaic cells and calculating voltage.  We will review Tuesday after we look at the powerpoints and the test will be Thursday.

in the news… January 25, 2009

Effects of heating on Gold

Trans Fats and Platinum Catalysts

Could Chemistry save GM?

Analysis of Bleach Titration December 9, 2008

bleach-analysis-analysis-questions

See this powerpoint as a guide to your calculations and which discussion questions you should answer.  Remember to restate the question OR write out the question before answering.  Label your calculations and don’t forget to include your calculation of your titrant (sodium thiosulfate).

Computer Programming in Physics September 25, 2008

My Physics I students are learning some computer programming skills thanks to Alice.  Their first project is due Wednesday, Sept. 30 and is listed below:

 

TIP: use free sounds and other tools from http://www.grsites.com