Database of Publications

Date: 2014.10.13

Posted by J.A. Ruiz (Spain)

Message: Recreational chemistry is an interesting way to improve students´ motivation about scholar science. In this document, the author describes three experiments (some of them very spectacular) with oxygen peroxide. Resources showed prove the importance of experimental classes in the teaching of Sciences and some of the experiments proposed are very interesting and can be applied in the classroom from different teaching approaches. Students motivation is improve by recreational experiments that show us a funny face of chemistry. The teacher can connect chemistry to students and showt them non academic aspects that put this subject in context.

Date: 2014.05.14

Posted by Antonio Guardia Cabrera (Spain)

Message: This work describes another way of teaching science based on experiments to increase the interest of the students in Chemistry. For this reason, the authors show three experiments based on the reaction of catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. The experiments are highly interesting and funny, and they are completely explained and ready to use. Moreover, the chemicals and materials are cheap and easy to find. Apart from that, they also describe the health and safety procedures to be followed.
The purpose of this project is to present another perspective of science more practical and attractive in order to strengthen the teaching of chemistry.
This kind of chemical demonstrations can be a valuable tool for teachers to capture student interest and help them to understand concepts.
I like this project because it is a great learning experience and an excellent way to promote science, because we can use the curiosity arisen from experiments to teach science.

Date: 2014.04.03

Posted by Viera Lisá (Slovakia)

Message: This publication describes three spectacular demonstration experiments of the breakdown of dense hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water via three different catalysts. Experimsnts are designed in order to motivate interest of the students in chemistry as well as explain some chemical and biological concepts. The publication does not provide methods for educational exploitation of the specific experiments. It is up to the teacher to try and find ways to connect the information behind these chemical reactions with the class curriculum and with what the students can actually understand. The publication is useful for teachers who wish to do researched demonstrations for their students. While it’s easy to find demos like this online, the supporting theory is very helpful and thorough. The images within the publication are very clear and also support the teacher in carrying out the experiments successfully.
The students themselves have to participate actively in building new knowledge via the exploitation of a really impressive experiment. The publication doesn’t deal with any issues in the teaching of chemistry but it states that demonstrations like these are needed to engage and interest students in the subject chemistry.

Date: 2014.03.29

Posted by Niki Rapti (Greece)

Message: This publication refers to three spectacular demonstration experiments of the breakdown of dense hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water via three different catalysts. These experiments aim at arousing students’ curiosity and interest. The description provided is quite detailed and easily reproduced. In order to help the teacher, the authors also provide the chemical reactions which explain the exothermic auto-oxidation reaction.
These experiments are very suitable for showing the magic of chemistry and even more in order to refer to some chemical and biological concepts. The publication does not provide methods for educational/pedagogical exploitation of the specific experiments. It is up to the teacher to try and find ways to connect the information behind these chemical reactions with the class curriculum and with what the students can actually understand, assimilate and eventually learn and not only remaining in the element of impressing the students. The students themselves have to participate actively in building new knowledge via the exploitation of a really impressive experiment.
For example, it would be interesting to relate hydrogen peroxide chemistry with antioxidant enzymes (catalases, peroxidases) and its importance for human biochemistry. In addition, hydrogen peroxide chemistry could be related with industrial and other applications (bleaching of paper, textiles and even teeth, cleaning of contact lenses and bleaching of melanin in hair). In order to achieve this aim, more material and information is required which can be found in the teaching resource “Chemical Compound of the month” (Valavanidis Athanasios, Efstathiou Constantinos (Eds.) National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, http://www.chem.uoa.gr/chemicals/chem_H2O2.htm) uploaded also on the “Teaching Resources” section of the “Chemistry is All Around Network” portal.

Date: 2014.03.14

Posted by Ciara Ní Dhrisceoil (Ireland)

Message: This publication describes three experiments that can be used as demonstrations using hydrogen peroxide as the common chemical throughout. They are designed in order to arouse the interest of the students in chemistry as well as explain some chemical and biological concepts. The experiments are explained very well, outlining the safety measures, the method and the chemical and biological theory behind each one. They also touch on the use of hydrogen peroxide in ‘everyday life’ and industry, explaining it’s function and how it works.
The publication is useful for teachers who wish to have exciting, well thought out and researched demonstrations for their students. While it’s easy to find demos like this online, the supporting theory is very helpful and thorough. The images within the publication are very clear and also support the teacher in carrying out the experiments successfully.
The publication doesn’t deal with any issues in the teaching of chemistry but it states that demonstrations like these are needed to engage and interest students in the subject. It doesn’t highlight anything particularly new in relation to teaching methodologies and there is no use of ICT as it’s not relevant for the demonstration purpose.