The featured article offers several demonstrations of substances that seem to be neither solid nor liquid, but somewhere in between. The authors suggest laboratory experiments that can be performed by beginning physics students, and suggest theoretical explanations for the strange viscosity behaviors. The subject is chemistry much more than physics, and it may require chemistry textbook authors to rethink the popular definitions of physical and chemical change. This reviewer then comments on the historical origins of squishiness, and on its unfortunate neglect, in their author's opinion, by general chemistry texts. The subject is properly called rheology, and is of considerable significance to industrial chemists.
More Information
Citation
Clark, Roy W. J. Chem. Educ.2007, 84, 588.
Keywords
High School / Introductory Chemistry; Textbooks / Reference Books
The "Chemistry Teacher Connection" (CTC) is especially for high school chemistry teachers. For only $40/year, it offers an online-only subscription to CLIC along with membership in the Division of Chemical Education, normally $65/year. CTC subscribers receive access to all articles and supplements from 1996 through the current issue.
Through special arrangement with the ACS, JCE High School CLIC is now able to provide subscribers with online access to Chemical & Engineering News articles that have been selected specifically for secondary science instructors and their students.
Occasionally, collections of JCE back issues become available for donation to individual teachers, schools, or libraries. JCE matches collections with interested recipients. Recipients pay shipping costs or pick up the collection.