Excitement of Chemistry

Graduate Fellow Johnnie Lyman & Teacher Partner Duke Raley

Abstract

Teaching students about their changing environment can be a difficult task.  It is hard to show students that when we make changes as a nation, those changes show up rapidly in our environment.  This lab uses UV reactant beads to demonstrate X-ray fluorescence, a tool used by modern climate scientists and oceanographers to figure out what elements are in deep sea mud.  The record for this lab shows the rise and fall of lead in sediment off the coast of San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.  Important concepts covered in this lab are: how fluorescence works, what we can use it for scientifically, where runoff goes and how it interacts with the environment, and when we make changes as a nation, those changes are immediately felt in the environment.

Duration 

 Two 2-hour periods (introduction to fluorescence included)

Objectives

This lab is designed to show students why they are learning electron orbitals and what they can be used for.  This lab also shows students what changes are taking place in the ocean near their school, so they can learn about environmental impacts using data gathered from measuring X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) of a deep sea core.

1.  Students will understand the Bohr Model
2. Students will understand elements react to light (both in the visible spectrum and at other wavelengths) by movement of electrons between shells.
3. Through the use of x-rays, different elements can be detected and analyses can be made about those elements.