Nailing Rust

When your upper elementary or middle school class is learning about chemical changes, these activities help demonstrate the concepts. In Part A, they submerge and place a nail partially underwater, then after a week they make observations of the amount of rust produced. In Part B, nails are exposed to four different liquids to test for amount of rust produced. For older children, you can explain the process of oxidation and discuss acids and bases as well. This plan is laid out clearly and provides lab sheets for student use.