Discusses materials used by dentists to restore teeth after decay has been removed. Shows how dental-material science is an interdisciplinary field in which chemistry plays a major part. Reviews the many developments polymer chemistry has contributed to the field of dental fillings. (CCM)

Discusses the most famous hoax in the history of science involving fossils including fragments of human or simian skulls and jaws and teeth found in gravel pits. Describes a laboratory experiment that exposes students to the problems of scientific misconduct. (CCM)

Describes a scavenger-hunt activity in which students were invited to find certain chemistry-related items and chemical information. (CCM)

Describes an outreach program in which college students plan, develop, and present hands-on workshops to fourth-grade students and their parents. Provides an overview of the pedagogical aims of this approach and a sense of the timeline for putting the program together. (CCM)

Discusses Henry's Law which describes the relationship between the pressure of gas and the concentration of that gas in a solution. Presents an application of Henry's Law to the cracking of knuckles. (CCM)

Claims that the technology required to produce common products can serve as the basis for student research projects. Describes the process for the creation of rayon from cellulose as a joint teacher/student investigation. (CCM)

Describes an adaptation of the chemistry of lightsticks to use the calculator-based laboratory (CBL) interface, a TI-82/83 graphing calculator, and an easily manufactured wooden block as the support system. (CCM)

Describes an experiment that involves the determination of the enthalpy change for a single reaction of the decomposition of aqueous hydrogen peroxide. (CCM)

Provides a synopsis of the current approach to teaching a course on chemical information at Oberlin College. Reports on changes made during the past two years. (Author/CCM)

Argues that science as practice embodies the ideal of human intellect understanding the order underlying Nature. Maintains that science should be the disinterested, objective, and cooperative search for the truth, whereas personal prejudice, vanity, and ambition take second place. Proposes that discussion of the purpose of, and ethics in, science…

Presents a qualitative activity whereby students observe the effects of temperature on commercial lightsticks. Includes Internet resources. (WRM)

Describes a low-cost activity designed to help students visualize both the kinetic and the stoichiometric nature of chemical reactions at the particle level, by creating a flip book. Suggests ideas for evaluation of student work, and extension activities. (WRM)

Presents a procedure for creating a colored superabsorbant polymer gel. Pieces of the gel can be used to demonstrate convection currents in heating water. (WRM)

Describes the creation and use of a cost-effective model for demonstrating osmosis using a beaker, wire screen, oats, and bean particles. (WRM)

Describes an activity in which teams of students locate laboratory safety equipment in a scavenger hunt contest. (WRM)