Learn about the factors that affect reaction rate. See how chemical kinetics can make reactions faster.
Science Notes Posts
Get cool glow stick experiment ideas. Explore the science of chemiluminescence and learn how turn a fun toy into a science project.
Glow Stick Science Experiment Ideas Recently updated !
Find out which element is the most abundant element in the universe. See the abundance of other elements, too.
What Is the Most Abundant Element in the Universe? Recently updated !
Get null hypothesis examples. Learn the difference between the null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis.
Null Hypothesis Examples Recently updated !
It's easy to make soap bubble prints or bubble fingerprints. This is a fun science and art project that explores bubble shapes.
How to Make Bubble Print Picture (Bubble Fingerprints) Recently updated !
Get the compound definition in chemistry. See examples of compounds and learn how they differ from molecules.
What Is a Compound in Chemistry? Definition and Examples Recently updated !
Learn why water is a polar molecule. See how electronegativity and molecular geometry give water polarity.
Why Is Water a Polar Molecule? Recently updated !
Find out the mass and volume of one mole of water. See the calculation and learn about the size of Avogadro's number.
How Much Is a Mole of Water? Mass and Volume
Get the definition of a solid in chemistry and other sciences. Learn the properties of solids and see examples.
What Is a Solid? Definition and Examples in Science
Get facts about the actinides on the periodic table, including a list of elements and their properties.
Actinides on the Periodic Table (Actinide Series or Actinoids)
Get the element definition in chemistry. See examples of chemical elements.
What Is an Element in Chemistry? Definition and Examples
Flerovium is the element with atomic number 114 and element symbol Fl. Get interesting flerovium facts.
Flerovium Facts – Element Number 114
Get the rules for naming covalent compounds. See examples of covalent compound nomenclature.
Naming Covalent Compounds – Nomenclature Rules Recently updated !
Get oganesson facts. Learn about the history, properties, and uses of element 118.
Oganesson Facts – Element 118
Get examples of covalent compounds. Learn their common properties and the types of elements that form covalent chemical bonds.
Covalent Compounds – Examples and Properties Recently updated !
Get the chemical property definition in chemistry and see examples of chemical properties.
Chemical Property – Definition and Examples
Learn about the halogen elements. Get the list of halogens and learn about their properties.
Halogen Elements – List and Facts
Get the phase change definition in chemistry and print a phase change diagram.
Phase Change Diagram and Definition
Get the homogeneous mixture definition and see solid, liquid, and gas homogeneous liquid examples.
What Is a Homogeneous Mixture? Definition and Examples
Get the atomic number definition. See examples of the atomic number and learn how it differs from mass number.
What Is an Atomic Number? Definition and Examples
See how to preserve a carved pumpkin. Get tips to make a pumpkin last longer and learn which methods don't work.
How to Preserve a Carved Pumpkin
Get uranium facts. Learn about the properties, uses, and sources of element atomic number 92.
Uranium Facts – Atomic Number 92 Element Symbol U
Get the definition of an emulsion in chemistry and cooking. See examples of emulsions.
What Is an Emulsion? Definition and Examples
Get fun and interesting krypton facts. Krypton is atomic number 36 with element symbol Kr.
Krypton Facts – Atomic Number 36 Element Symbol Kr
The pH scale shows how acidic or alkaline chemicals are. This chart gives the pH of common chemicals.
The pH Scale of Common Chemicals
Learn whether milk is an acid or base. See the pH value of milk and how it changes over time.
Is Milk an Acid or Base?
Here's a simple recipe to make fizzy sherbet powder and a look at the food chemistry behind the bubbly fun.
Fizzy Sherbet Powder Recipe and Chemistry
Learn how to make poinsettia pH indicator. See how to turn it into pH paper test strips and what colors to expect.
Poinsettia pH Indicator Instructions
Find cool and fun things to do with dry ice. Make fog, fizzy fruit, and ice cream. Make a spoon sing, inflate balloons, and more.
Fun Things to Do With Dry Ice
Get bromine facts, including the uses, sources, and toxicity of element number 35 with symbol Br.
Bromine Facts – Atomic Number 35 and Element Symbol Br
Learn how the periodic table blocks of elements are organized. Explore s, p, d, f blocks and main group, transition metals, and inner transition metals.
Periodic Table Blocks of Elements
Get a handy element charges chart and periodic table. Learn how to know the charge of an atom.
Element Charges Chart – How to Know the Charge of ...
Get the definition of ionization energy and learn about its periodic table trend.
What Is Ionization Energy? Definition and Trend Recently updated !
Get the definition of a confounding variables. See examples of confounding variable and learn why correlation is not causation.
What Is a Confounding Variable? Definition and Examples
Learn what the main group elements are, which elements are included, and why these elements are important.
Main Group Elements – Definition and Importance
Get ideas for 6th grade science fair projects. See how to apply the scientific method to any project.
6th Grade Science Fair Projects
Learn how to make disappearing ink that is blue, red, or purple and vanishes in air. Understand the acid-base chemistry involved.
How to Make Disappearing Ink
Learn about transition metal ion colors in aqueous solution and other solvents.
Transition Metal Ion Colors
Wow students with the Halloween clock reaction, also called the Old Nassau reaction. This color change reaction goes from orange to black.
Halloween Clock Reaction – Old Nassau Reaction
Get the definition of a reagent. See examples of reagents and learn the difference between a reagent vs reactant.
What Is a Reagent? Definition and Examples
Here are 10 interesting radon facts. Learn where radon occurs and why this radioactive element is so dangerous.
10 Radon Facts (Rn or Atomic Number 86)
A control variable is any factor that is controlled or held constant in an experiment.
What Is a Control Variable? Definition and Examples
One easy way to calculate your weight on other planets is to multiply your weight on Earth by the ratio between gravity on another planet and Earth.
How to Calculate Weight on Other Planets
Learn the difference between mass and weight. See how to measure them and use units correctly.
Mass vs Weight – The Difference Between Mass and Weight
Learn what a heterogeneous mixture is. Get the definition and examples.
What Is a Heterogeneous Mixture? Definition and Examples
Compare DNA vs RNA. Learn the similarities and differences between deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid.
DNA vs RNA – Similarities and Differences
Learn about the states of matter. Learn the four main states of matter, other states, and phase transitions between them.
States of Matter
Learn which chemical elements are named for places.
Elements Named After Places Recently updated !
Learn the differences between metals and nonmetals. Explore their chemical and physical properties.
Metals vs Nonmetals
The 5 main branches of chemistry are organic, inorganic, analytical, and physical chemistry. Of course, many other branches also exist.
Branches of Chemistry
Here are important lab safety rules and guidelines
Lab Safety Rules and Guidelines
See examples of matter in daily life and learn how to tell if something is matter or not.
Examples of Matter
Learn easy ways to convert cubic meters to liters and get tips for reporting your answer correctly.
How to Convert Cubic Meters to Liters (m3 to L)
Understand what oxidation means in chemistry. Get the definition and examples of oxidation.
What Is Oxidation? Definition and Examples
Water serves several functions in the human body. Babies have the highest percentage of water, followed by children, men, and women. Women have a lower percentage because they typically have more body fat than men.
How Much Water Is in the Human Body?
The four main types of chemical reactions are synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, and double displacement reactions.
Types of Chemical Reactions
Stink bombs are products designed to release a stinky odor. Despite the name, they do not explode. Stink bombs are readily available as pranks, plus there are versions used for crowd control. Here is a look at how stink bombs work, the chemicals involved, and their safety. How Stink Bombs […]
How Do Stink Bombs Work? Are They Safe?
In chemistry, periodicity refers to repeating trends in the elements of the periodic table, such as ionization energy, atomic radius, electron affinity, and electronegativity.
Periodicity Definition in Chemistry
To calculate pH, take the log of the hydrogen ion concentration and change the sign of the answer.
How to Calculate pH – Formula and Examples
Physical changes alter the form of matter but not its chemical identity.
Physical Change Examples
The Bohr model is a cake or planetary model of the atom, with electrons in shells. It is the first atomic model based mainly on quantum mechanics.
Bohr Model of the Atom
Carbon dioxide is poisonous at high concentrations, but low concentrations within the body are essential for life.
Is Carbon Dioxide Poisonous?
Here are the liquids used to make a 14 layer density column. Use food coloring to dye colorless layers.
How to Make a Density Column With Many Layers
Learn what mineral acids are and see list of examples.
Mineral Acid List and Definition
It's easy to make yellow fire using table salt, which contains sodium, or by adding iron filings.
How to Make Golden and Yellow Fire
Find out why fire is hot, learn how hot it is, and see the temperatures of various colors of flames from different types of fuels.
Why Is Fire Hot? How Hot Is It?
In an endergonic reaction, energy is stored in the products. In an exergonic reaction, energy is released to the environment. The released energy exceeds activation energy, making exergonic reactions spontaneous.
Endergonic vs Exergonic Reactions and Examples
EDTA isn't soluble in water unless the pH is at least 8, so you need to add NaOH to make EDTA solution.
How to Make EDTA Solution
Iridescent plants are different colors, depending on the viewing angle. While you may be unfamiliar with iridescence in plants, you’ve seen it in soap bubbles, peacock feathers, CDs, and butterfly wings. Iridescence results from diffraction or when two or more semi-transparent surfaces reflect light and produce an interference pattern. Both […]
Iridescent Plants for Your Home and Garden
The baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction makes sodium acetate, water, and carbon dioxide.
Chemical Equation for Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction
Purple fire comes from metal ions, such as potassium.
How to Make Purple Fire
A mixture results when two substances are physically combined but don't chemically react.
10 Examples of Mixtures
Fizzy fruit made with dry ice goes well with carbonate drinks, like champagne or soda.
How to Make Fizzy Fruit With Dry Ice
The van't Hoff factor is a measure of the number of particles a solute forms in solution.
The van’t Hoff Factor – Definition and How to Calculate ...
Water is a compound and not an element or a mixture.
Is Water an Element or a Compound? Recently updated !
Most elements of the periodic table are metals, some are nonmetals, and a few have properties of both metals and nonmetals, so they are called metalloids. Here are five examples of metals, metalloids, and nonmetals on the periodic table. Also, there are examples of substances that are not elements and […]
5 Examples of Metals, Metalloids, and Nonmetals
Learn how to preserve homemade crystals, such as borax, salt, and copper sulfate.
How to Preserve Crystals
Shark teeth are black because they absorb color from minerals during fossilization.
Why Are Shark Teeth Black?
Only the letters J and Q are not found on the periodic table.
What Letter Is not on the Periodic Table?
You can drink rain water fresh from the sky without treating it.
Can You Drink Rain Water?
Mixing bleach and ammonia produces toxic vapors that can incapacitate or kill you.
Mixing Bleach and Ammonia – Here’s What Happens
The solvent is the substance that dissolves the solute and the component of a chemical solution present in the greatest amount. While most common solvent are liquids, a solvent can be a solid or gas. The word “solvent” comes from the Latin word “solvĹŤ,” which means “to loosen or solve.” […]
What Is a Solvent? Definition and Examples
Supercooling water is easy and fun. Basically, you chill water below its freezing point and crystallize into ice on command. Here are step-by-step instructions for supercooling water using two different methods. Method #1: Supercooling Bottled Water Supercooling bottled water in a home freezer is the easy. The only “trick” is […]
Supercooling Water – 2 Easy Ways to Supercool Water
Osmosis and diffusion are two important types of mass transport. Here are the definitions of osmosis and diffusion, examples of each process, and a look at the differences between them. Osmosis and Diffusion Definitions Osmosis – Osmosis is the movement of solvent particles (usually water) across a semipermeable membrane from […]
Osmosis vs Diffusion – Definition and Examples
Sodium nitrate crystals have an interesting shape and display birefringence,
How to Make Sodium Nitrate Crystals
This is a table of density of common materials. Density is a measure of the amount of matter per unit of volume. This is the mass divided by the volume of a substance. Generally, gases are less dense than liquids, which are less dense than solids. However, there are many […]
Table of Density of Common Materials
DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is the molecule that codes genetic make-up. Here are 20 interesting and fun facts about DNA: The genetic code in DNA consists of only four building blocks. These are the nucleotides adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and cytosine (C). The DNA molecule forms a double […]
20 DNA Facts – Fun Facts About DNA
Make giant bubbles using a special bubble recipe and a larger bubble wand.
How to Make Giant Bubbles – Recipe and Bubble Wand
The noble gases have filled valence electron shells.
What Are Noble Gases? Definition and Properties
Many drugs and medicines are made from plants.
Medicines Made From Plants
Some chemical compounds contain both ionic and covalent bonds. These are ionic compounds that contain polyatomic ions. Often, a compound with both types of bonds contains a metal bonded to an anion of covalently bonded nonmetals. Less often, the cation is polyatomic. The cation isn’t always a metal. Sometimes nonmetals […]
Compounds With Both Ionic and Covalent Bonds Recently updated !
Rainbow roses are real living roses that have been dyed so their petals are multicolored. Before coloring, the natural rose is white. Rainbow roses you buy are made by injecting proprietary dyes into the stems of the flowers. However, you can make homemade rainbow roses. Here are two methods for […]
How to Make Rainbow Roses (Including Black Rainbow Roses)
You can separate sand and salt either to obtain the components or to explore separation chemistry. Separation is a method of purification that based on physical or chemical differences between two or more materials. Here are four ways to separate sand and salt and a look at the principles involved. […]
How to Separate Sand and Salt
Polar and nonpolar molecules are the two broad classes of molecules. Polarity describes the distribution of electrical charge around a molecule. Charge is evenly distributed in a nonpolar molecule, but unevenly distributed in a polar molecule. In other words, a polar molecule has regions of partial charge. Here are examples […]
Polar and Nonpolar Molecules
The independent and dependent variables are key to any scientific experiment, but how do you tell them apart? Here are the definitions of independent and dependent variables, examples of each type, and tips for telling them apart and graphing them. Independent Variable The independent variable is the factor the researcher […]
Independent and Dependent Variables Examples
Bottled water usually has an expiration date stamped on the container, but does it actually go bad? How long is bottled water good? The simple answer is that water is a pure compound that never goes “bad.” It is labelled with an expiration date to comply with state laws and […]
Why Bottled Water Has an Expiration Date – Does It ...
Piranha solution is an aqueous mixture of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) that is used to remove organic residue from surfaces and make them more hydrophilic. It is also known as piranha etch because another common use is etching circuit boards. Piranha solution is wicked stuff, so read […]
Piranha Solution Preparation, Use, and Safety
Magic Sand is waterproof or hydrophobic sand that doesn’t get wet when poured into water. It’s sold as a children’s toy as Magic Sand, Space Sand, or Aqua Sand, but the product has been around for a long time. The 1915 book The Boy Mechanic Book 2 references the sand […]
Two Ways to Make Waterproof Magic Sand
A micron is a unit of length that is one millionth of a meter or 10-6 m. One micron is 1/26,000 of a inch. The micron is also known as a micrometer (American), micrometre (International Bureau of Weights and Measures), or by its abbreviation ÎĽm. Usually, the plural form of a […]
What Is a Micron? Definition and Examples
Denatured alcohol is ethanol (ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol) made unfit for human consumption by adding chemicals called denaturants. It is also called denatured rectified spirit or methylated spirits. In general, denaturing removes a property from a substance without chemically altering it. In the case of denatured alcohol, denaturing makes […]
What Is Denatured Alcohol?
The pH of the stomach is always on the acidic side of the pH scale, but it varies from a pH below 3.0 to a pH between 5.0 and 6.0. Stomach pH is lowest when food is being digested and highest when the stomach is empty. The reason the stomach […]
What Is the pH of the Stomach?
2 You can make fire burn with a pure white flame. White is an elusive fire color because the fuel that supports a flame burns with its own characteristic spectrum. But, with a little chemistry know-how, you can get white fire. Here’s how to do it, along with tips to make […]
How to Make White Fire
Ionic and covalent bonds are the two main types of chemical bonding. A chemical bond is a link formed between two or more atoms or ions. The main difference between ionic and covalent bonds is how equally the electrons are shared between atoms in the bond. Here is an explanation […]
Ionic vs Covalent Bonds
It’s easy to make colored fire at home in the fireplace or a campfire. All you need to do is sprinkle on a salt to color the flames. Here is a list of colorants, the colors they produce, and a look at where to find them. List of Flame Colorant […]
How to Make Colored Fire at Home
Epsom salt crystals are among the safest and easiest crystals to grow. The natural crystals are clear, but they readily accept dye from food coloring. Here’s what you need to know to grow these crystals yourself. Epsom Salt Crystal Materials All you need is Epsom salt, water, and a bit […]
How to Grow Epsom Salt Crystals
Most of the elements of the periodic table are solids, a few are gases, and there are only two liquid elements at room temperature and pressure. A total of six liquid elements exist between room temperature and body temperature. Liquid Elements at 25°C Room temperature is loosely defined as a […]
Liquid Elements on the Periodic Table Recently updated !
pH, pKa, pKb, Ka, and Kb are used in chemistry to describe how acidic or basic a solution is and to gauge the strength of acids and bases. The pH scale is the most familiar measure of acidity and basicity, but pKa, pKb, Ka, and Kb are better for predicting […]
pH, pKa, Ka, pKb, and Kb in Chemistry
Energy is defined as the ability to do work. There are many different forms of energy. According to the law of conservation of energy, energy may convert to other forms, but is never created or destroyed. Here is a list of 10 common types of energy and examples of each […]
10 Types of Energy and Examples
An endothermic reaction is a chemical reaction that absorbs thermal energy from its surroundings. Because heat is absorbed, endothermic reactions feel cold. The heat absorbed by the reaction provides the activation energy needed for the reaction to occur. More energy is needed to break chemical bonds than is released reforming […]
Endothermic Reactions – Definition and Examples
Chemical names describe a substance’s composition, but we also use common names that are often associated with a property. So, you probably ask for salt at the dinner table instead of sodium chloride. It’s important to remember that common names are inaccurate and vary from one place and time to another. […]
Chemical Common Names and Formulas
Scientific notation is a method of writing very large or very small numbers in decimal form. The method is used by scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. Scientific notation is also called standard form, standard index form, or scientific form. Examples of large numbers written in scientific notation include Avogadro’s number (6.022 […]
Scientific Notation – Working With Exponents
Baking can be more of a challenge if you discover all your baking soda got used up for chemical volcanoes! Baking powder and baking soda are both leavening agents that make baked good rise. Baking soda combines with water and an acidic ingredient to produce carbon dioxide bubbles, while baking […]
How to Substitute Baking Powder and Baking Soda
Distilled water is water purified by condensing water vapor into liquid water. Usually, the distillation process involves boiling impure water and collected the condensed vapor in a fresh container. However, you can obtain distilled water from damp soil, plants, snow, and rain, too. You can distill water to make drinking […]
How to Make Distilled Water – 5 Easy Methods
Can you name the lightest metal? Most metals are heavy or dense, yet some metals can float on water while others are nearly as light as air. Learn about the lightest elemental metal and the lightest alloy. Lightest Metal That Is an Element When we talk about a material being […]
What Is the Lightest Metal?
Grow a quick cup of crystal needles in your refrigerator. The whole project takes between 15 minutes and 2 hours, from start to finish. All you need is Epsom salt, water, and a little food dye if you want a pop of color. Materials Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) Water (hot […]
How to Grow a Cup of Quick Crystal Needles
Washing hands and using hand sanitizer are two important steps to take to avoid getting sick or spreading germs to other people. However, there is confusion about how they work and why washing hands is better than using hand sanitizer. Here’s what you need to know. Hand Washing vs Hand […]
Hand Washing vs Hand Sanitizer – Why Washing Your Hands ...
Intensive and extensive properties are the two classes of physical properties of matter. A physical property, in turn, is one which can be observed and measured without changing the chemical composition of the sample. Physical chemist and physicist Richard C. Tolman coined the terms “intensive” and “extensive” in 1917. Here […]
Difference Between Intensive and Extensive Properties of Matter
Disinfectants are important for preventing the spread of diseases like coronavirus, but don’t mix them! Mixing bleach and alcohol forms chloroform, a sedative powerful enough to make you pass out or potentially die. Actually, you should avoid mixing bleach with any disinfectant or cleaner to avoid producing toxic fumes. Bleach […]
Bleach and Alcohol Make Chloroform – Why You Shouldn’t Mix ...
The words ethanol and alcohol are not interchangeable. Put simply, ethanol is the only type of alcohol safe to drink. Ethanol is also called ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol. It is one member of a larger class of molecules called alcohols. All ethanol is alcohol; not all alcohol is ethanol. […]
Know the Difference Between Ethanol and Alcohol
Some people drink hand sanitizer to get a buzz or get drunk. Kids have been known to lick hand sanitizer off their hands, resulting in a panicked call to Poison Control. How dangerous is it to drink hand sanitizer? What are the risks? What do you do if a child […]
Can You Drink Hand Sanitizer?
7 It’s easy to make a simple, effective homemade hand sanitizer. Why would you want to bother? Sometimes it’s hard to find hand sanitizer in a store, it might contain ingredients you don’t want, and it’s cheaper to make it yourself. Here is a basic homemade hand sanitizer recipe that you […]
Easy and Effective Homemade Hand Sanitizer Recipe
Atoms are often considered to be the building blocks of matter because they are the smallest units of chemical elements. These 10 atom facts cover basic information about atoms and some fun facts as well. The word atom comes from the Greek word atomos, which means “undivided” or “uncut.” The […]
10 Interesting Atom Facts
The elephant toothpaste chemistry demonstration produces a steaming tube of foam that erupts like an elephant squeezing a giant tube of toothpaste. The classic demo isn’t appropriate for kids because it uses 30% hydrogen peroxide, but there is a safe, easy version, too. The kid-friendly elephant toothpaste demo uses ordinary […]
Kid-Friendly Elephant Toothpaste Demo
Have ever wondered how many zeros are in a million, billion, or trillion? Do you know how many zeros are in a vigintillion or a googol? Knowing how to write ordinary large numbers is useful for science or math class (or your bank account, if you are rich). Use your knowledge […]
How Many Zeros in a Million, Billion, and Trillion?
Surface area formulas and volume formulas appear time and again in calculations and homework problems. Pressure is a force per area and density is mass per volume. These are just two simple types of calculations that involve these formulas. This is a short list of common geometric shapes and their […]
Surface Area Formulas and Volume Formulas of 3D Shapes Recently updated !
2 A diatomic element is a molecule of an element consisting of two atoms. It is a form of homonuclear diatomic molecule. There are 7 diatomic elements, but only 5 diatomic elements at standard temperature and pressure (STP). The diatomic elements are hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine. List […]
What Are the 7 Diatomic Elements? Definition and List
Get interesting francium element facts. Francium is atomic number 87 with element symbol Fr.