Eleven demonstration activities for an introductory undergraduate chemistry safety session are described. The first two activities are a safety video and a lab tour. All other activities are drawn from popular demonstrations and presented in the context of chemical safety. These include a balloon bursting via toluene, a dry ice fog created in a fume hood, a reaction forming a carbon snake, a glycerol and potassium permanganate reaction, creation of a fireproof banknote, a candle extinguished by a copper coil, a candle extinguished by a test tube, a demonstration of a can crushed by air pressure, and creation of a soda geyser. The pedagogical narratives of these demonstrations cover all four areas of chemistry safety learning outcomes using the RAMP approach (recognizing hazards, assessing risks, minimizing risks, and preparing for emergencies) recommended for undergraduate students by the American Chemical Society.

We present simple and effective experiments to produce intricate chemical patterns from common chemicals in a classroom setting. Students selected an independent variable of their interest, designed their experiment, and investigated its effect on chemical patterns in a four-hour activity. Photographs and videos were taken, while the identity and the concentration of chemicals in the reaction mixture, the concentration of oxygen gas above the solution, the depth of the solution, the shape and the total area of container’s cross section, and the temperature were varied. Students discussed their results and presented their investigation to the class. Our experiments enable students to conduct inquiries with open-ended discussion and also open possibilities for a chemical art competition.