North Jersey Section of the ACS

The Demo Den

As a new feature of this site, the NJ Science Teachers Convention is pleased to offer Demonstration Instructions for your use. We will be using this section to distribute demonstrations instead of providing hardcopy handouts of the demos. Demos have, and will continue, to come from ChemTAG meetings, as well as, the Teacher's Convention. You are welcome to select and print out any, or all, of the demonstrations you want to use in your school. Each is presented as a separate page that will print clearly.

These demonstrations are offered in good faith for use by qualified teachers and teaching institutions in a professionally supervised environment only. The safety warnings included in each demonstration are to be considered as a minimum, with additional safety precautions applied as appropriate. By use of these demonstrations any party hereby assumes full responsibility for any and all risks of personal injury and property damage attributable to their use. The American Chemical Society, nor the North Jersey Section of the American Chemical Society nor any officers, employees or agents thereof assumes any responsibility for negligent acts or omissions of any party in the conduct of any of these demonstrations.

BCCE Symposium Demos

From the BCCE Symposium 171:
High School Demos and Tricks of the Trade
(PDF documents, requiring Adobe Reader)

Exploding Pringles Can
Half Full Monty
Oily Water
Light Activated Reaction
16 Demos from the U of Nebraska
Popcorn Lab
Star Wars in a Tube
A Multi-use Color Change Demonstration
A Demonstration of Organic Amphiprotism
Three Interactive Demonstrations
The following files do not require the Adobe Reader

Bloody Hand

Goldenrod paper will change color from gold to red when contacted with a base such as the ammonia solution.
Burning Book The burning book demonstration provides a dramatic contrast between magic and science. The burning book can entertain an audience, but it can also be studied as an illustration of volatility, combustion, and insulation when its interior is shown.

Disappearing Rainbow A colorless solution is added to each of six beakers. A second colorless solution is added and each of the six resulting solutions turns a different color of the rainbow. Add more of the first solution and the rainbow of colors disappears
Double Boiler In a reduced pressure atmosphere, water will boil below its "normal" boiling point.
Ghost Crystals Light travels at different speeds through different substances.
Magic Bottle Pour a fluid from one bottle to another: Sometimes it turns into wine, sometimes into clear water.
Money to Burn Dip dollar bill into solution using tongs, remove after a few seconds and light bill with a lite wood splint. After a few seconds of burning flip the bill with a quick snap of the wrist to put out flame . Show the intact unburned bill.
Nonflammable Paper Cup A nice way to show how much heat water can hold.
Orange Juice A clear, colorless solution turns orange when another clear colorless solution is added, and then turns clear when more of the same solution is added.
Red, White and Blue Clear colorless solutions turn red, white and blue.
Super Glue An endothermic reaction 'glues' a wet beaker to a waxed board.
Tower of Foam A fast rising column of foam and indicator changes color.
Water to Grape Juice Five color changes introduce pH indicators in a fun and entertaining way.
Water Shell Game Sodium polyacrylamide polymer expands as much as 600% by slowly absorbing water. A little powder, cleverly hidden on the bottom of a non see- through cup, will absorb water poured into the cup. When the cup is later inverted the water is "magically" gone!
Witches Potion This demonstration shows that phenolphthalein is a chemical that displays different colors depending on the acidity or basicity of the environment.

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