Chemistry Craze Badge

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Chemistry Craze is a Junior Badge from the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin - Badgerland Council.

Complete 6 of the 7 activities to earn the Chemistry Craze Girl Scout Junior Badge.

# Activities

## 1) Safety

Working with chemicals can be fun and exciting but caution is **always** necessary. Discuss the following important aspects of safety when working with chemicals with your troop, your leader, or an expert in the field.

• Proper attire for working in a laboratory and working with chemicals - what should and shouldn’t you wear?
• Chemical safety such as proper disposal and clean up
• Common accidents that can happen and how those can be prevented
——

## 2) Density

Density is described as units of mass per unit of volume. A good way to think of it is how heavy something is compared to how much space it occupies or how big it is. Here are two activities to demonstrate this concept. Do *at least* one of them.

#### **Experiment 1**

This experiment can be done in small groups or as a large demonstration.

**Materials:**

• 2 clear, colorless containers of identical size, such as:
-Florence flasks
-Gas collection bottles
-Short, narrow-necked bottles like small flower vases or ketchup bottles
• Index card
• Food coloring
• Hot water
• Cold water
**Procedure:**

1. Add 5 drops of food coloring to one bottle, and then fill with hot water

2. Fill the other bottle with cold water. Make sure both bottles are completely full.
3. Cover the bottle of cold water with the index card.
4. Invert the covered bottle of cold water over the bottle of colored, hot water. Place in front of a white background so that the result will be easy to see.
5. Carefully remove the index card between them. Hold the bottles together if necessary, so that they remain balanced.
6. Repeat the procedure putting the hot water bottle on top and the cold water bottle on the bottom.
**Discuss:**
Why does the hot water rise to the top? What happens when the cold water is on the bottom?

#### **Experiment 2**

This can be done as a hands-on demonstration.

**Materials:**

• 3 bowling balls of different masses, 10 pounds, 12 pounds and 14 pounds work the best.
• A large tub filled with water
**Procedure:**

1. Ask three girls to pick up one ball of their choice.

2. First ask the group to guess whether the bowling ball will float or sink, then ask the girl to gently drop her ball in the water.
3. Repeat with the second ball and then with the third.
**Discuss:**
Why did one ball sink, one ball float and one ball bob when all three of them are bowling balls?
——

## 3) Acids and Bases

An acid is a compound that has extra hydrogens it is willing to give up. A base is a compound that is willing to accept extra hydrogens. That is why acids and bases react very easily with each other. pH is a scale used by scientists to determine whether a chemical is an acid or a base and how strong of an acid or base it is. If a compound has a pH higher than 7 it is considered a base and if a compound has a pH lower than 7 it is considered an acid. For an acid, the lower the number the stronger it is and for a base the higher the number the stronger it is. A compound that has a pH of exactly 7 is considered neutral (neither an acid nor a base). Here are two activities to demonstrate this concept. Do *at least* one of them.

#### **Experiment 1**

This experiment can be done as a hands-on activity.

**Materials:**

1. 15 cm3 (1 tablespoon) of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

2. 15 cm3 (1 tablespoon) of laundry detergent
3. about 180 milliliters (3/4 cup) of water
4. about 60 milliliters (1/4 cup) of vinegar
5. several drops of food coloring (optional)
6. a 400-milliliter (12-ounce) drinking glass
7. a waterproof (plastic or metal) tray
8. a teaspoon
**Procedure:**

1. Place the drinking glass on the tray.

2. Put 15 cm3 baking soda and 15 cm3 laundry detergent in the glass.
3. Add 180 mL of water and a few drops of red cabbage juice (made by blending pieces of cabbage in water and then straining the solution). Gently stir the mixture to mix the contents of the glass.
4. To display and observe the fizzing and foaming, quickly pour the vinegar into the glass. The mixture will foam up and over the top of the glass, covering the tray with a froth of tiny bubbles.
**Discuss:**
What happens to the solution when the vinegar is added? Why does this happen?

#### **Experiment 1b**

**Materials:**

1. Fresh lime or lemon

2. knife to cut fruit
3. 10 drops liquid dishwashing soap
4. 20 cm3 (1 heaping tablespoon) of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
5. soda glass
6. shallow pan, such as pie tin
7. tablespoon
**Procedure:**

1. Cut the lemon or lime in half and squeeze its juice into the soda glass.

2. Add the 10 drops of liquid dishwashing soap to the juice in the glass.
3. Hold the glass over the pan and add the tablespoon of baking soda to the glass.
4. Stir the mixture till you see a thick white foam form.
**Discuss:**
What kind of acid is in lemons and limes? Why did this foam form?
——

## 4) Food and Chemistry

Chemistry is involved in a lot of our everyday lives including food. Here is one experiment to show how food and chemistry are related:

#### **Experiment**

This experiment can be done as a hands-on activity.

**Materials:**

1. A nonmetallic container, about 500-mL

2. Stirring rod or pencil
3. Magnet, donut or bar shaped
4. 2 plastic bags with ties
5. 1 cup of breakfast cereal with 100% of the minimum daily requirement of iron
6. Rolling pin
7. Water
**Procedure:**

1. Tape the magnet to the pencil. Insert into a plastic bag and fasten with a tie.

2. Place the cereal in a plastic bag.
3. Crush the cereal with the rolling pin.
4. Pour the crushed cereal into the container and cover with water.
5. Use the magnet- pencil stirrer to stir the cereal slurry for about 10 minutes.
6. Remove the stirrer from the container and observe the fine black iron filings on the outside of the plastic bag.
7. Return the stirrer to the plastic bag and continue stirring for 5 minutes.
8. Remove the stirrer from the plastic bag and observe again the iron filings.
#### **Experiment 1b**

This experiment can be done as a hands-on activity.

**Materials:**

1. 1 cup of breakfast cereal with 100% of the minimum daily requirement of iron (Total, CoCo Wheats)

2. 8.5 x 11 office paper
3. Rolling Pin
4. Magnet, preferably strong
**Directions:**

1. Crush cereal with rolling pin on top of paper

2. Move paper, with cereal, on top of the magnet so the paper and magnet are in contact with one another.
**Discuss:**
Many cereals are fortified with iron. To fortify is to strengthen or improve by adding extra of an ingredient. In this case the cereal is fortified with iron, which is essential in maintaining a healthy body. The abundance of iron in the cereal causes the pieces of cereal to be attracted to the magnet.
——

## 5) Water Chemistry

Static electricity is the accumulation of an electrical charge in an object. The electrical charge forms when two objects are rubbed together. The electrons jump from one surface to the other. In this first experiment we see the interaction between static electricity and water.

#### **Experiment 1**

**Materials:**

1. A dry plastic comb

2. A water faucet
3. A wool cloth or a head of hair.
**Procedure:**

1. Rub the comb with the wool cloth or on your head to create a charge on the comb.

2. Turn the faucet on (not very strong) and bring the comb close to the faucet. Does the water bend? Why does this happen?
#### **Experiment 2**

In this second experiment we learn about the heat capacity of water. Heat capacity is the amount of heat an object, or solution can hold as the temperature increases or decreases.

**Materials:**

1. A half and half solution of rubbing alcohol and water.

2. A dollar bill
3. A flame
4. A pair of tongs
**Procedure:**

1. Soak the dollar bill in the water and ethanol solution.

2. Remove the dollar bill with a pair of tongs and light on fire.
**Discuss:**
Why doesn’t the bill burn? What property of water is this?
——

## 6) Physical Chemistry

Physical chemistry is the branch of chemistry that studies the relationships between physical properties and chemical compositions of chemistry. In general physical chemists study chemistry where it and physics meet. They study molecules, their interactions and bonds on microscopic level.

These two experiments demonstrate key concepts in physical chemistry.

#### **Experiment 1**

Concept: Surface Tension
This experiment can be done in small groups or as a large demonstration.

**Materials:**

1. Aluminum Pie Tin

2. Milk
3. Food coloring
4. Dish soap
**Procedure:**

1. Fill the pie tin half way with milk.

2. Ask girls to add food coloring drop by drop sporadically over the milk.
3. Once finished, add the dish soap drop by drop on top of the food coloring.
4. You should see the drops of food coloring expand immediately after contact with soap.
#### **Experiment 2**

Concept: Chemiluminescence
This experiment should be done as a large demonstration.
Chemiluminescence is the release of energy in the form of a photon of light. This occurs when a molecule that is in an excited state, a state with excess energy, returns to its ground state, a state of lowest energy.

**Materials:**

1. 3 light sticks

2. 3 same size containers that can hold hot water
3. Hot water
4. Room temperature water
5. Ice water
**Procedure:**

1. Fill the three containers, one with hot water, one with room temperature water and the other with ice water.

2. Drop one light stick into each container.
3. Leave for 5 minutes then take out and crack the light stick.
**Discuss:**
Is there a difference between the three? Does one glow brighter than the other two?
——

## 7) Careers in Chemistry

Careers in chemistry are almost limitless. Many jobs in manufacturing require chemistry, such as making products out of paper or metal or even making food. You can have a chemistry career where you work to keep the environment clean or keep people healthy. A career in chemistry does not always mean working in a laboratory. Learn about the many possibilities through at least one of the following activities.

1. Have a professor or a chemist from the industry come and talk about their job. Find out what they do on a daily basis, what they like best and least about their job, and what kind of schooling and job experience they needed to get there.

2. Using the internet or other sources, find out about the variety of careers possible in the field of chemistry. Find out about at least 6 different chemistry careers. Create a booklet of career information or a collage or some other way to present your findings to others.
# See also

Chemistry Badge
List of Council's Own Junior Badges

# External Links

Wisconsin - Badgerland Council's Own Badges
Chemistry Craze Badge (includes a booklet for leaders)