Ron DeLorenzo
Department of Chemistry
Middle Georgia College
1100 Second St. SE
Cochran, GA 31014-1599
phone: 912/934-3052; fax: 912/934-3199
email: rdeloren@warrior.mgc.peachnet.edu

This feature presents a collection of descriptive applications and analogies designed to help students understand some of the difficult concepts frequently encountered in chemistry. "Applications", as used in this column, refers to unusual, interesting, everyday-life chemical applications of chemistry. Examples of applying chemical principles to obtain new and unusual insights would be deducing the temperature of hell and determining the proper way to open a beer can. Other applications addressed in this column over a 20 year period include

How can you burn thousands of calories by drinking water?

How do people walk on fire?

How is it possible to boil water incorrectly?

Why does oatmeal stick to your ribs?

How did Coke beat Pepsi in the cola space war?

Why do humans kiss?

Why do humans have underarm hair?

Why does smoke go to the ground if rain is due?

How do you tell a person's age from his/her eyes?

Why is electricity free in the winter?

Why do Iowa algae bury themselves before Cape Cod high tides?

How can sand restore eyesight and hearing and predict earthquakes?

How can you cure medical problems with 100% pure water?

Why do teeth, underwear, ice cream, & car batteries explode?

Why are commercial thirst quenchers ineffective?

Some specific references to applications articles include "Why Oatmeal Sticks to Your Ribs" (1981, 58, 787), "CrackA High Interest Compound" (1995, 72, 322), and "The Photochemistry of Sunscreens" (1997, 74, 51).

"Analogies" are used to help students explain difficult chemical concepts. A student may have trouble comprehending how to calculate the percent dissociation of a weak acid. The same problem, expressed as the dissociation of a marriage

MW --> M + W

in which we begin with 50 couples (MW) and later find 5 divorced men (M), is easy for most students to follow. The percent dissociation is 10%. Some examples of analogy articles include "The Painting - Sponging Analogy for Chemical Equilibrium" (1997, 74, 544), "The Traveling Electron" (1997, 74, 396), and "Heat Flow vs. Cash Flow: A Banking Analogy" (1997, 74, 397). Prospective authors are encouraged to contact the feature editor directly before submitting a manuscript.

Chemical Principles Revisited

Inquiries about this column should be directed to
Emory Howell, High School Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5043
phone: 601/266-6472; fax: 601/266-6075
email: j.e.howell@usm.edu

This feature provides a review of chemical principles that are likely to require review by the introductory chemistry teacher because they are used infrequently or are difficult for students to learn. Articles that highlight the application of established chemical principles to new situations arising as the result of discovery or emerging technology also are appropriate for this feature. The first editor of this feature, Doris Kolb, described the intent of the column as follows:

Hopefully this series will provide a mechanism whereby secondary school teachers can recalibrate their thoughts and reaffirm their understanding of some of the more fundamental concepts used repeatedly in their teaching.

Manuscripts prepared for this feature should provide insights that go beyond the treatment of high-school or general chemistry texts, providing depth that will enable teachers to become confident in their understanding. In other words, the articles are intended primarily for reading by teachers of chemistry rather than resource reading for students. However, a well-written article may be very well useful as a resource for high ability or advanced students.

The prospective author is encouraged to examine some of the articles that have been published, including the very first, written by Professor Kolb: "But if Atoms are So Tiny" (1977, 54, 543). More recent examples addressing the ideas expressed above are "Basic Principles of Scale Readings" (1994, 71, 423) "The Effect of Pressure on the Equilibrium of the N₂O₄ - NO₂ System, and its Classroom Demonstration" (1993, 70, 95), "Who's in Charge?" (1992, 69, 223), "The Importance of Understanding Structure" (1993, 70, 287), and "Applications of Maxwell - Boltzmann Distribution Diagrams" (1992, 69, 555).

Chemistry for Kids

John T. Moore
Stephen F. Austin State University
Box 13006 SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962
phone: 409/468-3606; fax: 409/468-1266
email: jmoore@sfasu.edu
David Tolar
R.C. Fisher 6th Grade
404 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Athens, TX 75751

As our world grows more complex and interconnected it becomes more and more important to teach young children the principles and excitement of science, especially chemistry. The goal of the "Chemistry for Kids" column is to help facilitate communication of information among those involved in chemical education in the pre-high school setting. Of particular interest are manuscripts describing learner-centered activities and teaching strategies that integrate chemistry into the curriculum. A manuscript is usually strengthened by an explanation of the educational context in which the activity or strategy is used (e.g., grade level, group size). Both quantitative data and qualitative observations should be reported.

Articles of interest include descriptions of:

Successful outreach programs sponsored by universities, high schools, or industries to pre-high school audiences.

Kits, software, and other multimedia tools especially useful in bringing chemistry concepts to young students.

Articles prepared by pre-high school teachers concerning successes or informative failures in bringing chemistry to elementary and middle school students.

Cooperative efforts between college or high school faculty members and pre-high school teachers.

Some examples of articles: "Toxicology for Middle School: The Effects of Common Substances on Daphnia" (1995, 72, 49), "Science is Fun" (1993, 70, 1006), "CHEM Spells 'Chemistry is Fun'" (1992, 69, 413), "Adventures in Chemistry for Elementary and Middle Schools" (1989, 66, 230).

Another type of manuscript frequently accepted for publication is descriptions of successful and innovative programs designed to increase the chemical background of both pre-service and in-service teachers. Such programs might include courses, workshops, or demonstration programs. All articles of this type should be based on actual experience and should include an analysis of results if possible. Joint authorship by participating teachers can often strengthen the article.

Some examples of these types of articles: "A Chemistry Course for Elementary Education Majors: 'What is Possible When the Chemistry and Education Departments See Eye to Eye'" (1996, 73, 933); "Chemistry for Children: A Program in Precollege Chemistry for Elementary and Middle School Teachers" (1997, 74, 59), and "The Joys of Liquid Nitrogen" (1996, 73, 651).

The Cost-Effective Teacher

Hal Harris
Department of Chemistry
University of Missouri St. Louis
8001 Natural Bridge Road
St. Louis, MO 63121-4401
phone: 314/516-5344; fax: 314/516-5342
email: hharris@umsl.edu

This feature brings to light inexpensive materials for laboratories and demonstrations, especially those that would be of interest to high school or introductory college teachers. Articles describing the construction and use of apparatus or electronic devices should be based on materials that are readily available at relatively low cost. Techniques required for fabrication or assembly should be relatively simple. Tools required should be items that are likely to be accessible, such as a soldering iron, multimeter, electric drill, or scroll saw. Techniques requiring the use of more sophisticated instruments such as a wave form generator or digital caliper would be less appropriate for this feature.

Diagrams and illustrations describing construction details must be clear and crisp so that they reproduce well.

Articles describing the use of available materials that do not require fabrication or assembly are encouraged also. All manuscripts should contain specific information about how the authors have used the materials. The advantages of using the materials, compared with other approaches to teaching the same concepts, should be described.

This feature formerly was titled Inventory Control. Some examples of published manuscripts include "A Cheap, Semiquantitative Hand-Held Conductivity Tester" (1995, 72, 728); "Useful Plastic Items Available" (1995, 72, 1028), and "Sampling and Analyzing Air Pollution: An Apparatus Suitable for Use in Schools" (1994, 71, 318).

Interdisciplinary Connections

Mark Alber
Darlington School
1014 Cave Spring Road
Rome, GA 30161
phone: 706/236-0442; fax: 706/236-0443
email: malber@darlington.rome.ga.us

This new column features interdisciplinary connections between chemistry and areas such as art, literature, and history. Chemistry-oriented articles describing successful and innovative approaches to interdisciplinary connections will meet a need that has not been addressed previously through a feature column. The objectives for developing interdisciplinary connections are (i) to reach students who exhibit an interest in the arts and humanities but not in science and (ii) to help students who primarily are interested in science to understand that discovery and technological innovation are influenced by the culture of the time and place. Accounts of collaboration of chemistry teachers with teachers in other disciplines are especially encouraged. Approaches taken should be described in sufficient detail that readers could duplicate them, with or without modification, in their teaching situations. The results obtained from classroom implementation by the authors should be included in the manuscript.

Products of Chemistry

George Kauffman
Department of Chemistry
California State University, Fresno
Fresno, CA 93740-0070
phone: 209/323-9123; fax: 209/278-4402
email: george_kauffman@csufresno.edu

Products of Chemistry articles should provide background or supplementary information for instructors of high school, college, or university chemistry courses. The feature deals with the chemistry of broad classes and types of materials or substances as well as specific compounds or various commercial products that play important roles in everyday modern life that areor deserve to berecognizable to high school, college, or university students. Articles about these products may discuss their manufacture or synthesis; the chemical principles underlying their action, properties, or use; how they may be used to teach chemical concepts; methods for modifying them for safe but unusual purposes; and ideas for incorporating them as topics in chemistry courses. Inclusion of experiments and demonstrations involving the products may be included.

The 36 articles published as of January 1997 have dealt with polymers and polymer blends, elastomers, plastics, paints, toys, food additives or preservatives, glass, petroleum additives, deodorants and antiperspirants, fibers, fermentation, scientific toys, photography, pheromones, biocatalysts, air bags, and photoionic supermolecules. These articles were written by authors from eight different countries, and the feature has had a pronounced international flavor. For typical articles see "Wallace Hume Carothers and Nylon, The First Completely Synthetic Fiber" (1988, 65, 803), "Rayon; The First Semi-Synthetic Fiber Product" (1993, 70, 242), "Chemical Magic: Polymers from a Nonexistent Monomer" (1994, 71, 132), "The Origins of the Use of Antioxidants in Foods" (1996, 73, 158), "Superabsorbent Polymers: an Idea Whose Time Has Come" (1996, 73, 512). Prospective authors are urged to contact the feature editor before submitting finished articles to the Madison editorial office.

Second Year and Advanced Placement Chemistry

John Fischer
Ashwaubenon High School
2391 Ridge Road
Green Bay, WI 54304
phone: 414/492-2955 ext 2020
email: fischer@netnet.net

Second-year chemistry courses provide unique challenges and opportunities for teachers and their students. Although advanced placement (AP) courses are parallel in content and expectations to introductory college courses, the setting is quite differentfor example, length of class periods (which is often less than 60 minutes) or the challenge of laboratory preparation (without professional assistants). Teachers of second-year courses that do not involve AP credit face the same situations. This column provides a forum for sharing successful and innovative approaches that address the unique demands of teaching advanced high school chemistry courses.

Because this is a new column there are not examples to which prospective authors can refer. Authors should contact the feature editor to discuss their ideas before submitting the completed manuscript to the JCE office in Madison. Manuscripts that are limited to the description of an experiment will not be considered for this feature. Those who wish to submit an experiment should familiarize themselves with the requirements for this type of article (see 1996, 73, A311). However, manuscripts that describe how an experiment or set of experiments has successfully been incorporated into an AP or second year chemistry course will be considered.

View from My Classroom

David L. Byrum
Flowing Wells High School
3301 E. Ft. Lowell Rd.
Tuscon, AZ 85716
phone: 520/795-2928
email: davidb1032@aol.com

Through this feature, high school teachers from around the world open theirclassrooms and share their philosophies, lessons, teaching techniques,knowledge, and personal experiences with others. Published articles include awide range of content from the very general, "Why do we have to know thisstuff?" (1992, 69, 737) and "I Remember a Single Red Rose" (1990, 67, 494), to the veryspecific, "Transmuted Labs" (1996, 73, 451) and "Final AnalysisRethinking an Age-OldPractice" (1995, 72, 816).

Since this column is atypical in that its focus is far broader than is usual, potential authors are highly encouraged to contact the editor with their ideas even if they have not formally expressed theirthoughts in written form. Realizing that the publishing process is oftenforeign to secondary school teachers, advice can be provided to help focusthe article's possible content, to provide information in regard to theproper method of preparing a manuscript for review, to assist in the critiquing and revising of the manuscript both before and after it isreviewed, and to inform authors of how the reviewing process is conducted. The nature of this column allows for a wider range of writing styles thanone might normally expect to see in a scholarly journal.

Secondary school teaching can often present a different atmosphere, adifferent set of challenges, and a different set of experiences than may befound at other levels. Journal readers at the secondary, university, middleschool, and elementary school levels can learn and benefit from the knowledgeand experiences of others, and the "View" column is the venue through whichthese experiences can be shared.