Chemistry is pHun out-reached

Science Outreach for the 2021-2022 Academic Year

The “Chemistry is pHun” science outreach program was revived for the 2021-2022 academic year after its 2020-2021 pandemic hiatus. This year’s program comprised 21 visits to 13 different Rockwood School District schools, with presentations to second and fifth grade classes totaling 1044 students.

ACS–St Louis Section member Joe Smith made all of this year’s presentations with scheduling and logistical help from Rockwood Partners in Education, an organization that partners with volunteers willing to share their expertise or special talents with Rockwood School District students. Giving these presentations is a fun way to share your excitement about science with students. Additional volunteers are welcome and would help ensure continuity of the “Chemistry is pHun” program. If you are interested in participating, please contact Joe at smithjp1972@gmail.com.

Second- and fifth-grade presentations both start with a brief discussion of the broad range of STEM careers and the varied settings where STEM professionals work. Safety is emphasized, with a focus on eye protection during demonstrations and on the need for adult assistance for any experiments done at home.

Second graders attend a presentation entitled “States of Matter”, focusing on solids, liquids, and gases. The presentation discusses examples of where we encounter matter in different states and the role played by energy uptake and release in changes between different states of matter. Students participate in a demonstration of heat release during the liquid-solid phase transition in a hand warmer and see the effects of a gas-to-liquid transition in the “Collapsing Can” experiment. Students seeing this demonstration invariably ask “can you do this again?”, which leads to a good discussion of the importance of reproducing experimental results.

Fifth graders experience the “Transforming Matter” presentation, introducing the concept of a chemical reaction as a transformation that involves a change in chemical composition. Combustion illustrates how reactants can turn into products with a release of energy. Acid-base reactions are demonstrated with the help of indicators which led to an exploration, using red cabbage juice indicator, of the acidity of fluids encountered in daily life. A discussion of the pH scale ties in well with math class, where students are learning about exponents. Methods of controlling chemical reactions, such as removing a reactant or reducing temperature, are discussed in the context of extinguishing fires and the use of refrigeration to slow down food spoilage.