Are you nuts? An engaging experiment burns nuts to find their kilocalories. Young chemists analyze at least two different types of nuts with their experimental results versus what is on the package. The resource offers a great lab for...

Accomplished chemistry learners set up a calorimeter and measure the energy released by various alcohols: methanol, ethanol, and either propanol or butanol. Lab masters will first need to design their own tables for recording data....

As to be expected from the American Chemical Society Olympiad Examinations Task Force, this 60-question test tops the charts in terms of excellence. It consists entirely of multiple choice questions designed to assess a year's worth of...

The National Chemistry Olympiad exams are comprehensive tests covering an entire  year of chemistry concepts. You can use them as practice for competing in the challenge, or simply as a review, or as an actual final exam for your general...

The College Board published the mean score on the 2016 AP Chemistry exam as a 2.69, but a minimum of a three is required to earn college credit. Help pupils study for the upcoming exam with actual test questions, sample answers, and...

2018 saw some of the highest AP Chemistry scores in years. The College Board released each test question covering topics from enthalpy to net ionic equations, as well as scoring guidelines and more to benefit future scientists. Example...

Many periodic tables mention specific heat, but how do scientists determine those numbers? Scholars attempt to find the specific heat of a metallic element by using a calorimeter. Three experimental trials ensure accuracy, and analysis...

Scholars learn about heat release in phase changes. They perform calculations as they compare and contrast a science fiction passage and a home heating application.

If objects have no heat, how do they can gain and lose it? Scholars experiment with heat, temperature, and specific heat of various substances. They create definitions for these terms based on their own conclusions to complete the fourth...

People associate calories with food, but what is a calorie? Young scientists measure the number of calories in samples of food to better understand the concept. They test a variety of samples, take measurements, and compare their results...

Which has more calories, a cupcake or a rat? The odd question grabs pupils' attention as they learn about food as fuel in an intriguing installment of the PBS food science playlist. The video explains how scientists use a bomb...

How do you measure the heat within a substance? Introduce your chemistry scholars to the concept of calorimetry with a short but detailed video. Pupils discover the uses of calorimetry, how to perform calculations using data from a...

Young people between the ages of 11–13 need on average about 2,000 calories per day. Within the lab, groups learn about calorimetry and respiration. They explore how it pertains to humans and animals living the Arctic where cold...

Heat is more than just temperature, as viewers discover throughout a presentation about thermochemistry that emphasizes vocabulary. Definitions include joule, calorie, energy, enthalpy, calorimetry, exothermic and endothermic process,...

When the chemists who designed hand warmers were working, they had to consider how much heat they could give off to keep people warm  — and not burn anyone in the process. How is this heat given off in a chemical reaction measured?...

Scientists have been studying exothermic reactions before they were cool. The lesson begins with a discussion and a demonstration of heat curves. Scholars then determine the heat of fusion of ice and the heat needed to boil water through...

Calories are not tiny creatures that sew your clothes tighter every night, but what are they? A science lesson, presented at multiple levels, has learners experiment with heat, heat transfer, and graph the function over time. It also...

It's time to increase the heat! Young chemists demonstrate heat transfer and heat capacity in an activity-packed lab, showing the transitions between solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of materials. Individuals plot data as the changes...

This is actually a 10-day mini unit on thermal energy for your high school chemists. Every avenue is taken to get learners absorbed in heat: a pretest, a PowerPoint presentation, Internet exploration, demonstrations, lab activities, and...

A valuable resource provides a list of concepts that young chemists should grasp. The topics include energetics, kinetics, equilibria, redox reactions, and the halogen group. Employ this as a guide for your own curriculum planning, or a...

Students measure the heat of fusion of ice. In this heat of fusion lesson plan, students use a calorimeter or Styrofoam cup and thermometer to measure the change in temperature of the water in their calorimeter. This allows students to...

Junior chemists manufacture biodiesel in the lab. In this exercise, they check the purity of the biodiesel using thin layer chromatography. They also calculate its density and heat of combustion. They are sure to rise to the challenge...

In this phase changes learning exercise, students use the specific heats for different substances to determine how much heat is needed for those substance to change phases. This learning exercise has 9 problems to solve.