TY - JOUR
T1 - Using a Hands-On Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition Activity To Teach Catalysis Concepts to K-12 Students
AU - Cybulskis, Viktor J.
AU - Ribeiro, Fabio H.
AU - Gounder, Rajamani
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge the financial support from Endress & Hauser, Phillips 66 Company, and Shell Oil Company to purchase the materials and supplies to build the laboratory apparatus, and the financial support from NSF Award Number 1258715-CBET to purchase supplies for multiple offerings of this activity.
PY - 2016/8/9
Y1 - 2016/8/9
N2 - A versatile and transportable laboratory apparatus was developed for middle and high school (6th-12th grade) students as part of a hands-on outreach activity to estimate catalytic rates of hydrogen peroxide decomposition from oxygen evolution rates measured by using a volumetric displacement method. The apparatus was constructed with inherent safety features and is compatible with different types of catalysts, catalyst and peroxide concentrations, and reaction temperatures to enable the design of various experiments. The hands-on outreach activity was created with the aim of building scientific proficiency and stimulating interest in STEM fields among students with limited chemistry background. This activity is designed to be completed in short times (45 min) by students in small groups (3-5 students), where each group measures reaction rates at various activity stations and then gathers as a larger group (∼20 total) to discuss their observations and results and to assess their scientific understanding. Additionally, the activity is incorporated into a broader outreach program that uses hydrogen peroxide reactions as an underlying theme to introduce fundamental concepts in catalysis and kinetics to K-12 students. The program can be tailored to emphasize specific scientific topics including medicine, energy, or the environment.
AB - A versatile and transportable laboratory apparatus was developed for middle and high school (6th-12th grade) students as part of a hands-on outreach activity to estimate catalytic rates of hydrogen peroxide decomposition from oxygen evolution rates measured by using a volumetric displacement method. The apparatus was constructed with inherent safety features and is compatible with different types of catalysts, catalyst and peroxide concentrations, and reaction temperatures to enable the design of various experiments. The hands-on outreach activity was created with the aim of building scientific proficiency and stimulating interest in STEM fields among students with limited chemistry background. This activity is designed to be completed in short times (45 min) by students in small groups (3-5 students), where each group measures reaction rates at various activity stations and then gathers as a larger group (∼20 total) to discuss their observations and results and to assess their scientific understanding. Additionally, the activity is incorporated into a broader outreach program that uses hydrogen peroxide reactions as an underlying theme to introduce fundamental concepts in catalysis and kinetics to K-12 students. The program can be tailored to emphasize specific scientific topics including medicine, energy, or the environment.
KW - Catalysis
KW - Elementary/Middle School Science
KW - Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives
KW - High School/Introductory Chemistry
KW - Kinetics
KW - Laboratory Instruction
KW - Reactions
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U2 - 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00946
DO - 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00946
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84981194182
SN - 0021-9584
VL - 93
SP - 1406
EP - 1410
JO - Journal of Chemical Education
JF - Journal of Chemical Education
IS - 8
ER -