LABS & EXPERIMENTS
The chemistry laboratory is a place to explore and experiment. The goal is not to know that a scientific theory exists or a mathematical theorem provides an answer, but why and how. It is one of many stages that offer a collaborative, team-based setting in producing knowledge and connecting atomic interactions to the natural phenomena that we experience and see on a daily basis. The laboratory is beyond simply learning content, but the environment where students engage in learning from mistakes and problem solving.
Every lab in our collection is built around a consistent 12-point framework designed to reduce prep time, improve understanding, and strengthen data analysis. Each guide gives students & teachers the structure they need before, during, and after the experiment.
The Essentials
These core pieces ensure students arrive prepared and understand both the procedure and the scientific language behind it.
Lab Handouts
Clean and clear procedures are provided in both a student version and an annotated teacher version with helpful notes.
Key Vocab
A curated set of terminology helps students master the concepts needed to understand the why behind the how.
Pre-Lab
Scaffolding questions prevent students from walking into the lab with a blank-slate mindset and prepare them to think before they do.
Behind the Scenes
These planning resources remove uncertainty from setup and make it easier to adapt experiments to real classroom constraints.
Prep Notes
Exact equipment lists, molarity recipes, and setup diagrams take the guesswork out of preparation.
Modifications
Alternative pathways help you shorten a long lab, run a micro-scale version, or make classroom-friendly substitutions.
Sources of Error
A troubleshooting guide highlights common student mistakes so it is easier to diagnose what went wrong and why.
Data & Analysis
These tools help teachers model strong scientific work and help students turn raw measurements into meaningful conclusions.
Sample Data
A gold-standard result set shows what a strong experiment should look like from the start.
Sample Calculations
Step-by-step mathematical walkthroughs show students how to move carefully from numbers to conclusions.
GoogleSheet Analysis
Automated templates let students enter data, generate live graphs and regressions, and build modern data literacy.
Deep Dives & Connections
These extension resources connect the lab to deeper thinking, future experiments, and exam-style problem solving.
Discussion Questions
Higher-order prompts push students beyond what happened and into what if, why, and what comes next.
Similar Labs
Suggestions for related experiments help teachers reuse similar techniques or equipment and get more value from setup time.
Related Probs
Practice problems bridge the gap between wet-lab work and the written exam, helping students transfer understanding.
Matter and Measurement
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Atomic & Electronic Structure/ Periodic Table
By reacting a sample of brass in acid, students then can use UV/VIS spectroscopy to determine the content due to copper in the sample.
Bonding and Intermolecular Forces (IMFs)
Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is used to analyze the components of pain relief medications, known as analgesics, to determine the composition of common over-the-counter painkillers.
Nomenclature
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The Mole
Determine the Formula of a Hydrate
Heating the hydrate to remove water allows calculating its formula from the anhydrous compound's mass, demonstrating stoichiometry and water's role in hydrates
By heating magnesium in an open crucible to react with oxygen, students experimentally determine the empirical formula of the resulting compound.
Chemical Reactions
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Stoichiometry
Iron (II) or (III) Determination
An iron nail reacts with copper sulfate, then using gravimetric analysis to collect the copper produced to determine if the reaction involves iron(II) or iron(III), emphasizing stoichiometry.
Gravimetric Analysis of Calcium Carbonate in Antacid
Quantitatively determining the amount of calcium carbonate present in an antacid sample through the measurement of its mass change during a chemical reaction.
Gas Behavior
Gas Law Relationships
Multipart lab where students gather data on two variables (with others constant) to graph and derive the gas laws.
Hydrogen gas is produced and collected from the reaction of zinc with hydrochloric acid and then the molar volume is experimentally determined.
Molar Mass Determination of Unknown Gas
Gas is collected via water displacement from dust canisters to determine the molar mass of the unknown gas; additionally, students theorize the formula of the gas.
Solutions
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Thermochemistry
Specific Heat of Unknown Metal
Identity of unknown metals are determined by calculating specific heat capacities from data collected and other physical properties
Hess’s Law/ Determining Enthalpy of MgO Formation
Heats of solution are calculated for a couple of reactions from gathered data to then utilize to determine the enthalpy of formation for MgO via Hess's Law.
Designing a Hand Warmer
Challenges students to create an efficient, eco-friendly hand warmer. It involves measuring heat release through calorimetry plus other considerations.
Kinetics
Reaction rate between crystal violet solution and hydroxide ions is determined as a pseudo rate law understand chemical kinetics principles
This lab involves mixing colorless solutions that suddenly turn blue-black, illustrating the impact of reactant concentration on reaction rates. Rate law is determined by collected data.
Equilibrium
Applications of Le Chatelier’s Principle
Experiment engages students in altering chemical equilibria through changes in concentration, temperature, and pressure to visually demonstrate the principle's effects.
Acids & Bases
Through acid-base titration, students determine the concentration of phosphoric acid in the popular soft drink, Coca-Cola®.
Students create a buffer solution and test its ability to resist pH changes upon adding strong acids or bases.
Entropy and Free Energy
Titrations of saturated borax solution at different temperatures are conducted with HCl. The relationship between solubility and temperature used to derive a solubility product constant.
Redox & Electrochemistry
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Other
Investigation of Carbon Cycle
Multi-part experiment to get an understanding of the carbon cycle, particularly focusing on the role of plants in carbon sequestration; it combines botanical fieldwork with chemical analysis.
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