The list of materials for the Household Chemistry course may be longer than what you expect. This is because the course is primarily composed of hands-on activities. It is likely that you already own many of the materials. Others are quite inexpensive and may be available in local dollar stores, grocery stores, or department stores. Each unit corresponds to a week in the course. (For example, items for Unit 3 will be needed in Week 3 of the course). Items marked as “perishable” should not be acquired until the student needs them in the course.
You need these throughout the course:
- Access to water
- Computer
- Printer
- Printer paper
- Photo-taking device
- Old newspaper
The materials are listed for the individual activities within each unit.
Unit 1: States of Matter
Water’s Freezing Point
Ice cube, 2 cm cube or larger | String, 10 cm length | Table salt |
Gak
Safety goggles | Bowl or cup | Spoon |
Measuring cup | Liquid starch, 100 mL | White glue, 100 mL |
Water | Food coloring (optional), a few drops |
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Inventory
Inventory Data Table (download from the course) | Pen or pencil | Miscellaneous assorted kitchen items |
How Hot Can Water Get? |
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Small saucepan | Thermometer | Safety goggles |
Oven mitt or potholder | Timer or stopwatch | Printed data table |
Unit 2: Mixtures
Types of Mixtures
Measuring cups | Spoon | Milk, 250 mL |
Warm water, 750 mL | Sugar, 40 g | Sand, 100 g |
Glasses or plastic cups, 400 mL capacity or larger, 4 | Flashlight | Safety goggles |
Mixtures Lab: Salad Dressing
Jar with a lid, 500 mL | Dijon mustard, 10 mL | Olive oil, 120 mL |
Vinegar, 10 mL | Salt | Pepper |
Vegetables (e.g., celery, carrots, or cucumbers), crackers, or bread (optional) | Colored pencils, assorted colors | Piece of unlined paper |
Safety goggles |
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Separating Mixtures
Ziploc bag, sandwich size | Staples, 10, separated or steel wool cut into small pieces | Beads, plastic or glass, 20 |
Sand, 20 g | Water, 50 mL | Container that holds 100 mL of water |
Bar or kitchen magnet | Strainer or colander | Coffee filters, 3 |
Cups, small plastic, 4 |
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Salt Water Evaporation
Measuring cup | Salt, 10 g | Warm water, 50 mL |
A clear glass with capacity of 100 mL or larger | Salt Water Observation and Data form (download from the course) | Ruler |
Spoon | Safety goggles |
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Food Dye Chromatography
Coffee filters, 2 (white filters work best) | Food dye, 2 different colors | Scissors |
Water | Small paper cups, 2 | Ruler |
Safety goggles |
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Unit 3: Physical and Chemical Changes
The Naked Egg
Egg, in shell, uncooked (Perishable) | White vinegar (enough to completely cover the egg when placed in the jar; you need enough to do this two times) | Jar |
Bowl | Slotted spoon | Safety goggles |
Camera (optional) | Paper (optional) | Pen or pencil (optional) |
Chemical Reactions #1
Yeast, 1 packet, newly purchased | A glass, 300 mL capacity or larger | Warm water, 50 mL |
Spoon | 3% hydrogen peroxide, 40 mL | Thermometer |
Safety goggles |
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Chemical Reactions #2
Baking soda, 20 g | A glass, 400 mL capacity or larger | Vinegar, 50 mL |
Thermometer | Safety goggles |
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Unit 4: Atoms and Molecules
Build an Atomic Model
Paper plate, any size | Marker | Modeling clay, 100 g |
*Glass or plastic beads, 6 | *Kidney beans (dry), 6 | *Chickpeas (dry), 6 |
White glue |
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*Can substitute other small objects that you have on hand for making your model
Candy Balancing Equations
M & Ms, Skittles, or other different color candies (blue, red, green, and orange; 10 of each color) | Candy Balancing Equations Form (download from the course) | Colored pencils (blue, red, green, and orange) |
Ionic and Covalent Compounds
M & Ms, Skittles, or other different color candies (10 candies for each of 2 colors) | Ionic and Covalent Compounds Sheet (download from the course) |
Unit 5: Biochemistry
Churning Butter
Safety goggles | Heavy cream, 400 mL (Perishable) | Jar with lid |
Butter knife | Bread (Perishable) |
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Enzyme Action: Lactose Free Milk
Lactase tablet | Large cups, 2 | Spoon |
A mortar and pestle or something that can be used to grind the tablet | Milk, 500 mL (Perishable) | Safety goggles |
Glucose test strips (2) |
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Enzyme Action: Fruit in Jell-O
Jell-O (1 small package) | Hot tap water, 250 mL | Cold tap water, 250 mL |
Large bowl | Medium size plastic bowls, 2 | Spoon |
Fresh pineapple or kiwi (Perishable) | Safety goggles |
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Apple Browning
Apple slices (5) (Perishable) | Baking soda solution, 10 mL (3 teaspoons of baking soda to 60 mL of water) | Room temperature water, 10 mL |
Paper cups, 4 | Lemon juice, 10 mL | Hot water, 10 mL |
Paper plate | Safety goggles | Tweezers or tongs |
Pen or pencil | A camera |
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Unit 6: Fermentation and Food Preservation
Yeast Fermentation
Yeast packet | Sugar, 25 g | Glass jar, 500 mL |
Stirring rod or spoon | Warm water, 100 mL | Test tubes, 2 |
Small latex-free balloons; must fit securely on the test tube | Safety goggle |
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Yogurt Making
2% Milk, 240 mL (Perishable) | Food thermometer, 0-100C | Measuring cups, up to 240 mL |
Jar with lid, 500 mL | Saucepan, 1 L | Plain yogurt, 200 mL (Perishable) |
Safety goggles | Stove | Kitchen towel |
Spoon |
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Food Preservation
Oven | Baking tray | Apples, 3 cut into thin slices (Perishable) |
Cinnamon, 1 tsp | Distilled water, 4 L | Salt, 30 g |
Fresh dill, 1 small bunch (Perishable) | Cucumbers, 6 small (Perishable) | Large pitcher |
Ziploc bag, 1 large | Small jar with a lid | Berries, 2 cups (Perishable) |
Ziploc bag, sandwich bag | Sugar, 51 g | Plastic spoon |
Saucepans | Refrigerator | Safety goggles |
Unit 7: Water
Properties of Water
Cups, 4, 100 mL | Cup or bowl, 400 mL | Paperclip |
Tweezers | Small coin | Microscope slides |
Rubbing alcohol, 50 mL | Water, 50 mL | Eyedroppers, 3 |
Salt | Celery | Food coloring (small bottle) |
Plastic cups, 500 mL | Permanent marker | Stir rods, 2 |
Paper towels | Gummy bears | Small paper cups |
Measuring cup, 25 mL | Balance | Safety goggles |
Rock Candy
Sugar, 600 g | Spoon | Water, 250 mL |
Heat safe jars, 500 mL | Hot plates | Bamboo skewers or craft sticks |
Safety goggles |
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Ice Cream
Ziploc bag, 1 L | Large Ziploc bag, 4 L | Half and half, 125 mL (Perishable) |
Sugar, 15 g | Vanilla extract, 1 mL | Ice |
Rock salt, 90 g | Safety goggles | Spoon |
Paper cup |
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Unit 8: Vitamins and Minerals
Advertisement
- Paper and colored pencils or markers
Extracting Iron from Cereal
Iron fortified cereal (1 box) | Ziploc bag | Safety goggles |
Strong magnet; neodymium magnets preferred |
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Rates of Reaction
Alka-Seltzer tablets, 6 | Measuring cup, 100 mL | Medium size pot |
Ziploc bag | Large jar, 500 mL | Thermometer |
Stopwatch | Vinegar, 500 mL | Stove |
Safety goggles |
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Unit 9: Acids, Bases, and Soap
The pH Scale Lab
Measuring cup, 25 mL | Tap water, 10 mL | White vinegar, 10 mL |
Red cabbage indicator (Perishable) | Lemon juice, 10 mL | Soapy water, 10 mL |
Salt water, 10 mL | Cups, 4 oz. size, 8 | pH indicator paper and color key |
Seltzer water, 10 mL | Ascorbic acid, 10 mL |
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Clean Coin Challenge
Cups | Baking soda solution, 50 mL | Lemon juice, 50 mL |
Water, 50 mL | Unclean copper coins, 5 | Measuring cup, 100 mL |
Tweezers | Paper towels | Safety goggles |
pH indicator paper and color key |
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Soap Investigation
Liquid dish soap, 5 mL | Tap water, 100 mL | A jar with a lid |
Vegetable oil, 100 mL | Measuring cup, 100 mL | 2 Styrofoam plates with raised edge |
Straw | Food coloring | Whole milk, 100 mL (Perishable) |
Safety goggles |
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Unit 10: Polymers
Athletic Shoes
- Pair of your athletic shoes
Bouncy Ball
Measuring spoons, 5 mL | Warm water, 60 mL | Cornstarch, 23 g |
Borax powder, 4.5 g | White glue, 15 mL | Paper cups, 2, 100 mL capacity or larger |
Craft stick or plastic spoon | Food coloring, several drops of any color | Ruler |
Safety goggles |
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Recycling Code Scavenger Hunt
Assorted polymer products, items found around the house | Recycling Code Scavenger Hunt Table (download from course) |
Skewered Balloon
Paper towel | Bamboo skewer | Safety goggles |
Balloons, latex-free, round shape, (when inflated, must be shorter than the bamboo skewer), 3 | Camera or phone with videotaping capability | Vegetable oil or dishwashing soap, small amount |
Toys that Grow
Growing toy | Bucket or large bowl | Ruler |
Kitchen scale (optional) | Water | Toys that Grow Form (download from course) |
Unit 11: Light, Color, Pigments, and Paint
Chalk Paint
Colored chalk, several of 2 different colors | Ziploc bags, sandwich size, 2 | White glue, 40 mL |
Water | Paper, white, copy paper size | Wooden mallet or hammer |
Craft sticks, 2 | Small paper cups, 2 | Paintbrushes, 2 |
Safety goggles |
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Natural Dyes
Cotton balls, 3 | Rubbing alcohol, 20 mL | Safety goggles |
Black tea, brewed for 3–5 minutes, 10 mL | Berries (raspberry, blackberry, or blueberry), 5 of the same type of berry (Perishable) | Paper cups, bathroom size or larger, 3 |
Ziploc bags, sandwich size, 2 | Spinach, 3 or more leaves | Paper towel |
Stains
Cotton cloth or cotton napkin, light color | Vegetable oil, 15 mL | Grass or leaves |
Dish detergent, 5 mL | Baking soda, 30 g | Paper cups, small, 15 |
Spoons, 2 | Permanent marker | Scissors |
Coffee, brewed, 15 mL | Water | Paper towels |
Lemon juice, 30 mL | Container, 50 mL capacity or larger | Measuring spoons |
3% Hydrogen peroxide, 30 mL | Stains Data Table (download from course) |
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Invisible Ink
Lemon juice, 10 mL | Cotton swab | Paper cup, small |
Safety goggles | White copier paper or lined notebook paper | Heat lamp, incandescent light bulb, or a hair dryer |