Halloween Chemistry

1. Halloween Chemistry Presented by Kavita Gupta, Instructor AP Chemistry, Science DC Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, CA

2. MV Chemistry Website urlhttp://web.fuhsd.org/kavita_gupta This session’s power point is available on the above website. Presenter’s email Kavita_gupta@fuhsd.org

3. Monta Vista High School21840, McClellan Road, Cupertino, CAwww.montavista.schoolloop.com

5. Halloween Chemistry combines learning of Chemistry with fun and helps students gain better understanding of Chemistry while arising their curiosity. Halloween Chemistry: Rationale

6. Halloween Chemistry at AP Chemistry Level There are three components of Halloween Chemistry Presentation at AP Level: Halloween Demos by the teacher (15 mins) Halloween Costume Presentations by the students (35 mins)

7. Halloween Chemistry Part I: Teacher Demos

8. Halloween Demos by the teacher • Flaming Pumpkin with Colored Fires • Desks on Fire • Fire-Breathing

9. Flaming Pumpkin with Colored Fire

10. Materials: Large Pumpkin, Calcium Acetate Trihydrate (~20g), Ethanol (enough to make a slurry) Nitrates of Calcium, Strontium, Barium and Copper (II) Methodology: Make a slurry of Calcium Acetate Trihydrate by mixing enough alcohol in it. Put this slurry in a carved and cleaned pumpkin. Light the pumpkin on fire using a lighter. You may do this demo outside of the fume hood. Now add one spatula full of each of the salts one by one to see that flame test colors. Student Assessment/Review: Students will identify the cation in the salt based on the flame test color.

11. Chemistry behind this demo: Flame Test Colors: Ca2+ Red, Ba Ion Pale Green, Cupric Ion Blue-green, Strontium Ion Brick Red Review of Bohr’s Model and release of energy with electron transition Disposal: Pumpkin + left overs can be put in regular trash after completing combustion. Safety Precautions: Please wear goggles while performing this demo and put the container of alcohol away from the open flame.

12. Cupric Ion Flame Test Color in its Full Glory Strontium Ion’s Flame Color

13. Desk on Fire Demo

14. Materials:Calcium Acetate Trihydrate (~20g), Ethanol (enough to make a slurry), match • Methodology: • Mix the ethanol in Calcium Acetate Trihydrate to make a slurry. • Using a glass rod or a spatula, write whatever you desire on the desk. • Make sure that the letters are touching each other for a continuous fire. • Now light the fire at any letter. The whole lettering will light up.

16. Chemistry Behind the Reaction Combustion of Hydrocarbons: CxHyOz + O2 CO2 + H2O + Heat C2H5OH + O2CO2 + H2O + Heat Disposal: After combustion of alcohol, ashes can be disposed off in regular trash. Safety Precautions: Please wear goggles and keep container of alcohol away from demo area.

17. Fire-Breathing

18. Materials: Burner, Corn Starch, lighter • Methodology: You might need to practice it before doing this demo in front of the class! • Set a burner on a table and light it. • Take two spoonfuls (or as much as your mouth can hold) of corn starch in your mouth. Blow out this • corn starch in burner flame with force. It is pretty spectacular!

19. Disposal: Wipe table with a wet paper towel. Rinse your mouth to get rid of excess corn starch. Chemistry Behind the Reaction: Reaction Rates and Surface Area Safety Precautions: 1. Do NOT inhale corn starch. Take a deep breath and while you have the corn Starch in your mouth, try not to inhale it. 2. Try this demo couple of times before performing in front of students.

20. PART II: Students’ Halloween Costumes Some Costume Topics/Descriptions

24. Some Videos on Halloween Chemistry MVHS AP Chemistry Students 2010-2012

25. Ionic Bonding

26. The Gold diggers

27. Helium Atom

28. TNT

29. Like a Chemist

30. Arrghon (Argon)

31. AgCl Precipitation

32. Halloween Chemistry at 10th Grade Level Chemistry and Chemistry Honors

33. Halloween Demos by Teacher • Oozing pumpkin • Genie coming out of the bottle

34. Oozing Pumpkin • Materials • Baking Soda, Vinegar, Red Food Coloring, Dish Soap • Procedure • Carve out a pumpkin. • Add vinegar (enough to fill it just below first carving), food coloring (few drops) and soap (2 tea spoons). • At the time of demo, add baking soda and red froth is going to come out of pumpkin • Put a big dish under the pumpkin to catch the spill. • Pumpkin can be used through different classes, by refilling the material. • Dispose in trash at the end of demo.

35. Genie in The Bottle (From Flinn) Materials: H202 (30%), Mn02 (catalyst), 2 L soda bottle, thread • Procedure • Make a pouch of about 1 spatula full of Mn02 in a tissue paper and tie it with a thread. • Fill an empty 2L soda bottle with H202 and hang in the MnO2 pouch in there, making sure that thread is caught in the bottle cap so pouch does not fall into the bottle unless cap is unscrewed • At the time of demo, unscrew the cap. The pouch will fall inside H202 starting a spectacular reaction • Disposal: • In trash, after all H202 has been decomposed.

37. PART II: Students’ Halloween Costumes Some Costume Topics/Descriptions

38. Student Costumes • The costumes ranged from Mentadent Toothpaste costume (for Fluoride), Cow ( for Ca), Salt shaker ( for Sodium), Glow in the dark costume ( for phosphorus), Battery ( for Nickel), Statue of Liberty ( for copper by), Skeleton (for Ca), Glow-in-the-dark clothing (Phosphorus), double replacement reactions (NaOH + HCl) and Heisenberg.

40. Phosphorus (Glow in the Dark), Graphite (Pencils- Allotrope of Carbon) and Calcium (skeleton)

41. Double Replacement Reaction: Metathesis

42. Beryllium Fluoride and Magnesium

43. Double Replacement

44. Heisenberg

45. Thank you for your time!