Resource Type: Scenario-Based Activities
Our scenario-based activities challenge students to apply chemistry knowledge in real world and game based situations. These activities highlight the utility of chemistry concepts.
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Stoichiometry
The Mole, Molarity, and Density
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An in-class activity in which students use molar mass calculations, the scientific method and basic knowledge of chemical reactions to solve a murder mystery. The activity begins with a 5 minute introductory video,…
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In this interactive activity, students first use color to determine which drinks are the most concentrated. Next students use the Virtual Lab to create solutions whose concentration matches that of two characters…
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In this interactive activity, students must determine whether the factories in a fictional town are adhering to the guidelines the city has established for their emissions. The challenge is that, for some factories,…
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In this interactive activity, students first learn how gravimetric analysis can be used to determine the concentration of various species in water, through a combination of particulate-level representations and…
Reaction Stoichiometry and Limiting Reagents
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Set in the context of ground water contamination in Bangladesh, this stoichiometry and analytical chemistry activity examines the issues around identifying wells contaminated with arsenic. (Part of a larger online…
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Getting bacteria to eat oil is a powerful approach to cleaning up oil spills, and the first step is adding a bioremediation accelerator to form clumps that the bacteria will eat. In this activity, students perform…
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Thermochemistry
Energy and Enthalpy
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While camping on the Appalachian Trail, a storm dampens all the fire wood and you must design a chemical reaction to heat your meal. In this activity, students design an experiment in the virtual lab to determine…
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Students use stoichiometry and thermochemistry to design a new fuel for a mission to Mars. In this activity, students work in teams using the virtual lab to characterize a new set of oxidants and reductants that…
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In this activity, students explore the concepts of heat transfer and temperature by considering the design of hot and cold packs. Students investigate kinetic energy at the molecular level as well as learn about…
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Solar power plants use thousands of mirrors to reflect sunlight onto the top of a tower where the renewable and sustainable thermal energy from the sun is transferred to a liquid and then used to power a steam…
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Kinetics
Phenomenological Kinetics
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Students use kinetics to interpret raw experimental data to determine the mechanism of ozone destruction. In this pen and pencil activity, students are given data obtained from laboratory experiments to study the…
Mechanistic Kinetics
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Students use kinetics to interpret raw experimental data to determine the mechanism of ozone destruction. In this pen and pencil activity, students are given data obtained from laboratory experiments to study the…
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Equilibrium
LeChatlier's Principle
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Students first investigate the concentration of reactants and products and forward and reverse reaction rates at equilibrium. Students go on to learn about LeChatelier's Principle and how changes in concentration…
Equilibrium Calculations
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This activity explores the equilibrium of dyes that self-assemble into DNA templates. Students use knowledge of equilibrium and quantitative spectroscopy to explore different dyes that bind selectively to DNA molecules.…
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Acid-Base Chemistry
Strong Acids and Bases
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Students are put in a scenario where they are the lifeguard at their neighborhood pool, and it is their job to not only keep the swimmers safe, but to monitor the water quality of the pool to make sure it's not…
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Solubility
Solubility and PH
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Students explore the chemistry behind the causes and effects of acid mine drainage on a modeled river. In this activity, students use the virtual lab to examine the pH dependant solubility of Iron(III) hydroxide,…
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Analytical Chemistry/Lab Techniques