Development and Implementation of a Simple, Engaging Acid Rain Neutralization Experiment and Corresponding Animated Instructional Video for Introductory Chemistry Students

Abstract

Here we describe an acid rain neutralization laboratory experiment and its corresponding instructional video. This experiment has been developed and implemented for use in the teaching laboratory of a large introductory chemistry course at Brown University. It provides a contextually relevant example to introduce beginner-level students with little or no acid–base chemistry background to the basic theories of solution chemistry. First, students measure the conductivity of water samples with different ionic compositions, serving as an introduction to the conductivity of solutions. Second, to simulate the neutralization reaction between acid rain and limestone as it occurs in nature, students pass a sulfuric acid solution through a column containing calcium carbonate and monitor the conductivity of the resulting solution. Students are then required to graph conductivity versus volume of sulfuric acid added to the calcium carbonate column and use the resulting plot to calculate the equivalence point. Additionally, an instructional video containing animated features was created and utilized to engage students in learning new chemistry concepts by relating chemistry to their daily lives and helping them visualize experimental setups. Significantly, the experiment has been adapted to include the use of a pH probe or multimeter to make it more accessible to K–12 classrooms and teaching laboratories without access to conductivity probes.

Strategies, Practice and Lessons Learned from Remote Teaching of the General Chemistry Laboratory Course at Brown University

“…2−6 For example, the fuel cell lab 3 relates electrochemistry and thermodynamics to the clean energy, and the acid-rain lab links acid−base chemistry to acid rain in the environment. 4 Our experiments also utilize color observed in visual art, such as medieval stained glass, textiles, and gemstones, to facilitate the discussion of quantum mechanics, molecular structures, and chemical bonding. 6 Prior to laboratory, students are required to comprehend the lab manual, prepare the lab notebook, finish the online prelab questions, and attend or watch a 50 min prelaboratory lecture presented by a faculty member.…”

“…The general chemistry laboratory course is considered a difficult course to teach, due to students’ heterogeneous chemistry backgrounds and learning levels. Considerable effort has been devoted to improving laboratory courses through the development of engaging experiments that are applicable to students’ daily life. − As a result, these laboratory experiments significantly enhanced student learning and stimulated their interest in science. Despite these engaging laboratory experiments, students with little or no experience with chemistry laboratories continue to struggle in the course.…”

“…Brown University’s laboratory curriculum normally includes 7–8 weeks of laboratory experiments created by our students and faculty. Students who have already completed the course have collaborated with faculty to create several engaging experiments that meet students’ learning levels and relate chemistry to daily life. − For example, the fuel cell lab relates electrochemistry and thermodynamics to the clean energy, and the acid-rain lab links acid–base chemistry to acid rain in the environment . Our experiments also utilize color observed in visual art, such as medieval stained glass, textiles, and gemstones, to facilitate the discussion of quantum mechanics, molecular structures, and chemical bonding…”

Developing a Green Chemistry Focused General Chemistry Laboratory Curriculum: What Do Students Understand and Value about Green Chemistry?

“…Despite a growing international effort to develop green chemistry education, there has been an uneven development of green chemistry curricular materials. Most green chemistry curricular design has occurred in elective or organic laboratory courses. − Although a number of laboratory experiments have been designed for introductory chemistry courses, − there have been few comprehensive green chemistry reforms for general chemistry lecture or laboratory − curricula. With this gap in mind, we redesigned the University of California, Berkeley’s general chemistry laboratory course around green chemistry content and practices.…”

Introductory Chemistry Laboratory: Quantum Mechanics and Color

“…This laboratory experiment was developed through a collaborative effort among faculty and graduate and undergraduate students at Brown University, and it has been successfully implemented in classes of over 600 students (mostly of first-year students) per academic year for over three years. Involving UTRA (Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award) undergraduates − in the development process allowed us to create an experiment that is at the appropriate skill and knowledge level of our introductory chemistry students, promoting academic engagement. This simple engaging laboratory can be adapted to a high school and to other undergraduate curricula, relating chemistry to color with or without introducing advanced topics, depending on students’ learning levels.…”