HISTORY and OPERATION of a CHEMISTRY CLUB WALTER Q. BUNDERMAN John Harris High School, Harrisburg. Pennsylvania
Short history of the Priestley Chemistry Club, its constitution, requirements of admission, schedule of programs for a year, detailed discussions of these pograms am! their operation, and the value of a chemistry club.
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year graduation will leave ten June members in the club and the June graduation will leave ten mid-year members in the club for the following fall. There are ten mid-year members in the club a t the opening of the school term in the fall who were members since the preceding February. Fifteen other mid-years are admitted before October and ten June members. The following February fifteen other June members are admitted and ten mid-years so that the full membership is thirty-five. It was also noticed that after studying chemistry for a half year there are many more applicants, which accounts for the fifteen being admitted just a half year before they graduate. The constitution which follows describes the organization and operation of the club.
HIS article was not written so much for experienced teachers of chemistry as for beginners. At one time a beginner myself, I still welcome and appreciate the help given by older and more experienced members of the profession and frequently ask for such help. The literature is often too general and not specific enough, especially for beginners. I have endeavored to make the present article specific and easily applicable The Priestley Chemistry Club was organized in CONSTITUTION OP THE PRIESTLEY CHEMISTRY CLUB October, 1926. The chemistry students took the Artick I . The name of this d u b shall be the Priestley Cheminitiative by asking whether it would not be possible istry Club. to organize a chemistry club which could meet during Article II. The purpose of this d u b shall be to further the activity period and take up some interesting subjects members' knowledge of chemistry in an interesting and instructive manner. which could not be fully developed in class. Article III. Membership in this club for the first semester is Experience has shown that this chemistry club can- limited to twentyave members from the mid-year class and ten not, like a nature-study club, select the subjects it members from the June class; for the second semester to twentywishes to study a month or two in advance and then five members of the June class and ten members of the mid-year proceed with the study. The members are beginning class. Prospective members must be students of chemistry, in the subject, and have the activity period of alternate the study of chemistry and do not have a suflicient interested Mondavs free. Onlv the twentv-five arten. as it mav, be. ~.havinr knowledge of the subject to select topics or experi- the highest averogc in all sub~cctsthe preceding semester and ments which can be profitably discussed or demon- nlqdying for mrmbrrshi~,will b~ selt.cred from each class. Each strated in a fifty-minute period. Since it is not self- member must assist in presenting a t least one program during the motivating, the teacher of chemistry is the sponsor year. Article ZV. Officers and their duties. and motivating spirit. Section 1. There shall be a president, vice-president, secreProgram committees were appointed the 6rst year tary, assistant secretary, treasurer, assistant treasurer, reporter, and at the meetings of these committees the members and assistant reporter. a. It shall be the duty of the president to preside a t all meettried to plan their programs, but due to a lack of chemiings of the club and perform all other duties common to the precal experience were unable to do so. This showed siding officer. that the club cannot he absolutely self-motivating. b. In the absence of the president, the vice-president shall As sponsor of the club I was asked to compile a large perform the duties of the president. c. It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep the minutes of list of subjects in keeping with first-year chemistry and then the committee would select from this large all the meetings, to c a n y on the dub's correspondence, and in of the reporters to see that the news is reported. list the fifteen topics which appealed to them. Our thed .absence It shall be the duty of the treasurer to take charge of the programs for the first year developed from this and money and to keep an account of the same. He shall pay all some were of such a nature that it was possible to use bills that have been signed by the president and secretary and he them in succeeding years because the membership shall give a report a t the end of each month. The dues s h d be collected a t the door upon entering. The treasurer checks off of the club changes completely each year. name as dues are paid to the assistant. At first all chemistry students who applied for e. It shall be the duty of the reporter to make a report of all membership were admitted but in a short time the activities of the club for nublication. Article V. ~meudmek- his constitution may be amended membership had to be limited to the size of the chemat any regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members istry lecture room which accommodated thirty-five. Mid-year graduation presented a new problem. present. Article VI. By-laws. In order not to discriminate, it was decided to admit Section 1 . Regular meetings shall be held activity period of an eqnal number from each group so that the mid- alternate Mondays
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Section 2. Dues shall amount to five cents a meeting. Section 3. 05icers shall be elected in October of each year. * Section 4. Officers shall be nominated and elected at the same meeting. Mid-year seniors, main officers, and June seniors, assistants. Section 5. Elections shall be by ballot. A majority of votes shall be required to elect. Section 6. Meetings shall be called to order promptly at 1:lO. No one to be admitted late. Section 7. Any funds in the treasury a t the dose of the year shall become club funds for the fallowing year. Section 8. These by-laws may be amended and changed by a two-thirds vote of the members present. Section 9. Anv member absent twice without a d i d excuse presented to the sponsor before the meetings from which he waz absent, is nutamntically dropped from memberihip unless he was absent from school on those days.
they practice until they are able to do it without help. This practice is usually activity period, after lunch, before or after school.
The president of the club before the close of the meeting selects and announces the members who stage the next program. The members usually volunteer for the program in which they are specially interested. They report to the sponsor who gives them the necessary help to perform their part in the program and
BEERY,P. G., "The First-Year Chemistry Course," f . CHEM. Eouc.. 8,1781414 (Sept.. 1931). loc. cd., p. 1798. BEERY, ' BEERY,loc. cit., p. 1798. 4 BEERY, loc. cit., p. 1808. Commonwealth of Pa., Dept. of Labor andhdustry, "Operation of Motion Picture Projectors" and "Regulations for Protection from Fire and Panic," 1930 edition.
DISCUSSION OF PROGRAMS
The organization meeting involves the election and installation of officers which is usually accomplished in the forty minutes actually left for t!ie meeting. At the initiation meeting one of the newly admitted boys is selected by lot, blindfolded, and acts as the candidate for the new members. Extreme care is taken during initiation ceremony to prevent any injury to candidates or members. Five of the older club members, with the president, perform this ceremony. In order to set the club in motion a list of requireThe use of motion pictures in club work was given ments and a tentative schedule for the year is posted a thorough trial last year. A very helpful list of sources in each home room of the mid-year and June seniors of motion pictures appeared in "The First-Year Chemduring September and February. The list of require- istry Course" by Pauline G. Beery.' The weakness ments and the schedule which was used in 1931-32 of most available films is the advertisement feature. follows. The names of some films are also misleading. The PRIESTLEY CHEMISTRY CLUB--SIXTH YEAR "Romance of G l a s ~ "sounds ~ enticing hut the club Requiremenls for admission: did not like the picture because it showed so little 1. Applicants must be studying chemistry. of real glass-making. The most instructive and best 2. Have activity period free to attend meeting second and liked of those appearing in t h e preceding programs fourth Mondays of each month. were "Industrial 1)iamonds"' and "Acres of Diamonds 3. Be willing to participate in a t least one program. and Miles of Gold."' Two reels requiring a total of 4. Any member absent twice is dropped from membership. 5. If you are too busy to attend and devote the time while about thirty-five minutes proved to be the best comattending to club business, please do not apply for membership. bination. This feature of club work has been suc6. Of those applying for membership, fifteen from mid-year cessful enough to he retained. class having the highest grades as 12-B's will be selected and ten The operation of a motion picture machine may from the June class having highest grades as 11-A's. February 1. 1932, fifteen June members having the highest grades as 12-B's demand the attention of some of the readers. Our school is equipped with a 35-mm. Powers projector. will be admitted. Any one having a desire to operate a machine can 1931-32 Tenlutive Program of Priestley Chemistry C 1 3 easily learn to do so by making a careful study of the 1. Organization. manual accompanying .the machine and the machine 2. Initiation. itself and then getting a little help from a licensed 3. Motion Picture "Beyond the Miaoscope." 4. Develooment of Film-Bv members. operator. After carefully studying "Operation of 5. Printing of NegativesBy members. Motion Picture projector^,"^ the candidate should 6. Motion Picture "Carbon MonoxideThe Unseen Danbe ready to take the examination for the Non-theatrical ger." Projectionist License given in our state of Pennsylvania 7. Liquid Air Demonstration-By Sponsor. 8. Lecture on Iron and Steel-By Mr. Whalen, formerlychief at Harrisburg or some other designated point under chemist of Pipe Bending Works. the Department of Labor and Industry. There is .9. Motion Picture "Romance of Glass." no fee and the license can he renewed every two years of Glass BulbsFilling and Sealing-By SponBlowing 10. without charge. sor~ .... The film development demonstration is handled by 11. Analysis of Gasoline-By members. 12. "Relation of Chemistry to Our City Water Supply Sys- three members. A film tank is used which permits tem"-By Mr. Book. Chemist of Water Plant. the development of the film without a dark room. 13. "Magic Hour in Chemistry"-By members. This can be obtained from Eastman Kodak Co., 14. Studv of Contents of "Patent Medicines and Remedies." Rochester, N. Y. One member rolls the film on the 15. ~ o t i &Picture "Acres of Diamonds and Miles of Gold" and "Industrial Diamonds." light-proof apron while the other two prepare and 16. Radium Discussion-By members. use the developing and fixing solutions. The interesting part of this program is the removal of film from PREPARATION OF PROGRAMS
the developer and actually seeing the pictures in subdued light before they are placed in the fixing bath. Ordinarily the film is fixed by the end of the period and then it is washed and dried by the close of school. Many members come in after school to examine the dried negatives. While the film is undergoing development, one of the members on program discusses the chemistry of' developing and fixing. The printing of the negatives is performed by the same group which developed the film. By placing a heavy black cloth over the door window, the stock room was changed into a dark room for printing. The developing and fixing is performed according to the directions of an "A B C" outfit from Eastmaxi Kodak Co. The developing and fixing solutions are prepared before the beginning of the period so that the prints can be washed and dried before the end of the period. The club members are taken into the dark room in groups of four or five to watch the exposure and the print come up through the developer, which is the most interesting part of the printing procedure. After the prints are washed they are placed on ferrotype tins which have previously been rubbed with "Peepo-day," a wax preparation to prevent the prints from sticking. This can be obtained from any commercial photographer. The tins are then placed on a radiator which dries them in a few minutes and causes the prints to curl up. The exposure and developing is the only part requiring the dark room. The taking of a negative and making a finished glossy print from i t in one period certainly takes the mystery out of photography for many students. The developing and printing of a film has proved so popular that it has been retained on our club schedule each year. The three members that are on the program often teach others and films are developed and printed after school for several months following the club programs. The liquid air demonstration has also proved very popular and has been used each year. Liquid air plants are becoming more numerous and i t is now available in almost any average-sized city. The Air Reduction Sales Co. and the Linde Air Corporation are the usual competitors. Dewar flasks are expensive and frequently break in the hands of operators of these plants. Experience has shown that the Stanley steel thermos bottle is better for our work. Evaporation is more rapid than from a Dewar flask but it does not break as easily. Two quart Stanley steel bottles are given to two of the club members living near the plant the preceding afternoon and brought to school the next morning. They are loosely stoppered with cotton and, when filled a t eight o'clock, there is enough left to work an entire period beginning a t one o'clock. The most interesting part of this demonstration is the mercury hammer. For the past six years the writer has taken a small tight pasteboard box with a square or round base and filled it with mercury to a height of about three to five centimeters. Holding
a wooden rod in the center for a handle and pouring the liquid air on the mercury, it soon freezes it into a hammer The cardboard is easily broken away and the hammer is used to drive a nail into a board. Many other interesting and instructive experiments can be performed, some of which appeared recently in an article on "Liquid Air" by W P Cady.6 Bringing in the city water chemist each year to address the club has become worth while. He usually makes certain routine tests on water such as hardness, discusses the city water system, and the purification of the water. Situated in a steel section of the country, it is not difficult to get chief chemists to address a chemistry club. The speaker gives a general description of the work performed at the plant and the products produced with special reference to chemical relation. These meetings bring the members in contact with industry, which broadens their chemical viewpoint. Glass work is a part of our field in which we as chemistry teachers are woefully deficient. For years the writer has examined college and university bulletins for a short summer course in glass work but none has appeared. This seems to be a weakness of our higher training schools However, students like to play with glass and to satisfy this desire the blowing of glass bulbs, filling, and sealing was introduced. Two bulbs are made. With the use of a suction pump one is filled with concentrated ammonium hydroxide and another with concentrated hydrochloric acid and sealed in aflame. They are placed in a strong flask, stoppered, and then broken by shaking The appearance of the white gas, ammonium chloride, adds interest to the procedure. In these days of high-pressure salesmanship and advertising, the analysis of gasoline becomes intensely interesting to students. The apparatus used is the type used by the U. S. Bureau of Standards and can be obtained from any apparatus company. The distillation test is the only test made and the percentages are taken a t 80°C., 140°C., 200°C., together with the dry or endpoint and the percentage of recovery. This affords a good method of comparing gasolines with respect to some of their properties and every chemistry student knows that the boiling point of a fraction is usually closely related to the completeness of combustion. Caution must be exercised in drawing conclusions from these tests. No statement should be made as to which is the best gasoline but the members can see for themselves which ones have the greater proportion of the lower boiling fractions. The Department of Agriculture and Immigration of Virginia analyzes and publishes the results of their analyses of gasolines sold in the state. Reprints which are very helpful can he obtained from that department. The "Magic Hour in Chemistry" is taken from an article by that name appearing in the "Langley Science CADY,H. P.,"Liquid Air," J. CHEM.EDUC.,8, 102743 (June. 1931).
Bulletin" by C. A. Gorgas, issued in the fall of 1926.' and in many cases, as in the steel mills, only boys With several changes the program was presented to over sixteen and at their own risk are permitted. the school as an assembly program in January, 1931, VALUES and was well received. A chemistry club has a place and a duty to perThe program dealing with so-called "patent" mediform in a high school. It has helped to increase the cines and remedies met with instant favor and will enrolment in chemistry, which is an elective study, be retained as a permanent feature of the duh. "Nosat a more rapid rate than the increase of high-school trums and Quackeryn8is the source of material and a population. Programs given in assembly help to study of the fakes practiced upon the American public advertise the chemistry department and apparently by charlatans and quacks is an eye opener to most make students more anxious to elect the subject. studeuts and results in a checking up of medicines in Usually the ones interested in the subject are memthe homes. The value of education in this field is bebers and many of them are so enthused that they major yond question. in chemistry in college. I t serves as a common meetThe discussion on radium was unusually iuterest- ing ground for the bright students of different secing on account of the frequent appearance of radium tions. Our school paper, which is published bimonthly, articles in the daily press in relation to cancer. The gives the club a fine write-up on each program and addiscussion was in the nature of articles on discovery vertises it. I t has developed into one of the most of radium, nature of rays, disintegration, and transmuactive clubs in the high school. There is no other tation of elements, story of radium and its uses, radium agency which supplements class work for students poisoning, and handling radium in safety. above average more than the chemistry club. The Another worth-while practice of the club in normal vocational program given in alternate years serves as times is visiting industrial plants. The steel plant a guide for many students intending to pursue the subwhere the complete process from ore to the finished ject further. During the five years of the American rail is in progress, the making of liquid air, carbon Chemical Society essay contests, members of this club dioxide, etc., have all proved to be interesting and won one first prize in the state and two honorable instructive. A group of fifteen or less is usually taken mentions. Like many other educational ventures, its value cannot be accurately measured, but the writer 7 Gonons. C. A., "The Magic Hour in Chemistry." Langlcy ScicnceBdletin, Oct., 1926,1525. believes that the results obtained more than justify a Crum. A n r m J., "Nostrums and Quackery." Vol. No. 2. American Medical Association. 535 North Dearborn St.. Chi- the time and energy required of the sponsor and members of this extra-curricular activity. cago, Illinois, 1921, 800 pp
