edited by
LINDAWOODWARD
chemistry for kids
h e University of Southwestern Louisiana Lafayene, LA 70504
Chemistry Merit Badge Revision -
James ~ e a v o r ?G ~ NAsleson. James art on.^ John ~ i n a , 'and Clyde Metz College of Charleston, Charleston. SC 29424 T h e B o y Scouts o f America recently have revised t h e i r chemistry m e r i t badge requirements ( I ) . In a previous article inthis J o u r n a l (2)w e shared o u r r o u n d r o b i n schedule f o r teaching t h i s m e r i t badge as a project for service organizations. W e have updated o u r program with t h e n e w requirements a n d w i s h t o share it with y o u now. T h e requirements have been modernized t o deal more directly w i t h current topics such as pollution, waste disposal, a n d biochemistry. T h e requirements also h a v e been revised t o b e safer a n d to limit waste disposal problems. The oroeram s t i l l i s v e r v m u c h a hands-on e x ~ e r i e n c eintrod;cLg the t o t h e m a n y facets df chemistry Career choices in chemistry are given as w e l l as outlines for proper educational paths t o take. These requirements s t i l l are a. u. ~ l i c a b l et o d o i n-g as ~ - r o- i e c t sf o r non-scout groups. T h e n e w r o u n d r o b i n schedule i s available u p o n request.' T h i s n e w schedule has been used successfully with t h e h e l p o f t h e G a m m a D e l t a Chapter o f A l p h a C h i Sigma. O u r program i s set u p f o r t w o three-hour sessions. Stations dealing with each requirement are set u p in separate roomsllabs. There are a minimum o f t w o instructors Der station. O u r undergraduate chemistry majors are used as instructors f o r t h e scouts. F a c u l t y members supervise a l l activities. A l l reagents a n d equipment are prepared ahead o f t i m e a n d are ready for use. Scouts r o t a t e f r o m station to station with 20 min allotted to each station. At each station t h e s w u t s receive a "minilecture" explaining t h e chemistry involved w i t h t h e requirement a n d perform t h e necessary experiments andlor answer questions. Some requirements are finished in one day. Some requirements h a v e w o r k t h a t m u s t be done a t home between sessions. W h e n a scout successfully completes a l l requirements h i s m e r i t badge c a r d i s signed. The scout t h e n presents t h e signed card to h i s scoutmaster t o receive h i s badge. O u r p r o g r a m i s in i t s 1 0 t h year with a n increasing dem a n d of scouts w i s h i n z to t a k e o u r wurse. We are d e a s e d w i t h t h e n e w requirements a n d a r e comfortable &th o u r n e w schedule.
Appendix 1. Requirements for Chemistry Merit Badae - (.1.) 1.
Define chemistry and tell what chemicals are. a. Make a list of 10 chemicals found in your home and give their uses. b. Tell how chemicals in your home are stored safely and how to dispose of them safely. c. Tell the difference between a chemical reaction and a physical change.
2. Tell what analytical chemists do. Do THREE of the following: a. Prepare an indicator from a plant or leaf bloom. Show that it works when vinegar neutralizes a baking soda solution. b. Compare the strengths of 5% solutions of baking soda and borax by titrating each with vinegar. C. Test two different bits of food for starch and for protein. d. Compare the amounts of Vitamin C in two kinds of fruit juice. e. Show that ink or food wior has two or more colors by using paper chromatography. 3.
Define biochemistry. a Wrlte the slmp e eqJauon for pnotosynthests Expla n wnat pans s m gnl ana chloropnyl play n 11 G ve !he names an0 symbols of me tnree parts of 10-6-4fen lzer Explam what each does for plants. Draw from memory a sketch of the carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle. b. Explain what oxygen does in the animal body. Describe how oxygen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide are carried in the body. Describe the chemical changes taking Dlace when
11
4 bread bak&
5 bread is chewed
4.
Define inorganic chemistry. Carry out an experiment to show three different wavs of Drotectina iron or steel from rustina. Tell whv aluminum do&n't rust ihe wav iron does. Do anexper Gent n wh ch one meta manesinother meta aeposst from SO ~t on Explam wnar takes place n terms of me activity series of metals.
5.
Define organic chemistry.
6.
Define physical chemistry. a. Construct a Cartesian diver. b. Expla~nwhy the medicine dropper sinks to the bottom when the sides are squeezed.
7.
Define pollution. a. Name two chemica s tnat caLse alr, water, or sold waste po i n ~ o nnear yodr nome Tell wnere tnese po IJtants mlgnt nave come from F no one way to control one of tnese. Do one test to show that air or water is polluted b. Do ONE of the following: (1) Write the formula for ozone. Tell where it is found. Tell how it is both a pollutant and also necessary for a healthy (2, Wrlle tne formla for caroon d oxme Explain wnar aco
'Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 'Undergraduate students.
ran s. Wnar ooes p n meas~re?Measure the p h of ran or r Tel how actd ra n can be a booy of water near y o ~ nome. prevented. Volume 71
Number 2
February 1994
113
Do ONE of the following: a. Visit an industrial plant that makes chemical products or uses chemical processes and describe the processes used. What, if any, pollutants are produced and how are they handled? b. Visit a laboratory or business that uses chemicals and find out how and why the chemicals are used. c. Visit a county agent to learn how chemistry is meeting farm problems of soil fertility and crop pests. Describe two different kinds of work done by chemists. chemical engineers, and chemical technicians. Explain the differences in college courses for training each of these three kinds of workers. Appendix 2. Chemicals a n d Equipment Required 1.
Candles, matches, 150-mL beakers, 400-mL beakers or small juice glasses and a cereal bowl 2a. Red cabbage, vinegar, baking soda, burner with stand or hot plate, Erlenmeyer flask, beaker, medicine dropper (3) Zb. 5% NaHCO?lbakina soda). 5% Nad3nCh lboraxi pnenolpntnie n, 10%- ~ l r e t or s ied~ctnedroppers pastc or nklng c ~ p or s 50-m- beaners (41 2c. Potato, bread, hot dog, sugar cubes, tincture of iodine, 5%' CuS04, 6 M NaOH, 2% albumin or raw eggs for Biuret test, medicine dropper (5) 2d. Orange, lemon, or grapefruit juice, 1 M HCI, 1% starch solution, tincture of iodine, medicine dropper (6) Safety Note: Handle 1 M HCI with caution
..
2e. Chromatoaraohv or automatic drio coffee filters: black - . oaoer , F alr nk pen, or V s-a-V,soverneao transparency pens in colors otner than blacn: tsopropyl alcohol: 600-mL glass lars w th scrcw-on i o or cnromatography oevelop ng chambers (7)
114
Journal of Chemical Education
Meat tenderizer, lemon juice, cream of tartar, baking soda, white bread 4 Iron na 15,palnt, wonlng 011.5% CJSO~,haCI, small can of parnl. lead welgnl ( m o m ng welght trom car whee or tlshlng s nner). 100-mLoeakers or pastc arlnntng c ~ p i8. s 9) 5. Baking soda, vinegar, cooking oil 6. 2-L PETE soft drink bottle with screw-on cap, medicine dropper (10) 7. KI test paper for test of Pb using Pb(N03)2 or AgN03 to test for chloride ion Safety Note: Dispose of Pb(N03)~and AgN03 properly (11, 1 4 8 pH meter or pH paper (13, 14)
3.
Literature Cited 1. Chemistry. Boy Scout*of America: Irving, TX, 1992. Available from loesl Boy S e a t cO"nei1 ofiees, department stares that sell scouting supplies, or fmm the Boy k o u t s of America. P O . Box 909. Rneville. NC 28184-mO9~
4. Bolgford. C.
. . ., L.; Summertin, L. R. Chemicol Aeliuitles /or %
c k : Teacher ed., Ametiean Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1988.p 155. 5. Ref.4, p 217. 6. Ref.4.p 211. 7 . Ref.4.p 257. 8. Summertin, L. R.; Ealy,Jn,J. L. Chemiml Ikmonsfmtions; American Chemical Society: Washington. LC,1985.; Vol. l , p 151. 9. Ref. 4.11 182.
12. R e f 8 , p 183. 13. Ref.4.p 191. 14. Newton, D. E. Endrnnmandll Chemistry: J. Weston Waleh: Portland, ME, 1991, p 54.
