Chemistry 101

Chemistry is the sciencce  of "what things are made of"  and we'll experiment with the basics this week.  We'll start with talking about atoms and how different types of atoms behave diffently.  Acids have atoms that give of Hydrogen ions in water and make some of the food we eat sour.  Bases behave oppositly and give of Hydroxides in water and cause things to taste bitter.  Cleaners usually are basic.  When the two are combined, gas (Carbon Dioxide in class today) and a salt is left behind.  There are different types of indicators to allow chemists to know the PH of a substance.  We will experiment with cabbage juice and other indicators.  
Next we will talk about solid, liquids and gases and make a CO2 balloon from an acid and base. Which group does a polymer belong to?  Polymers are long skinny molecules that can be tangled to create plastics, nylon, and more.  Naturally they are found in our hair, wood, and spider silk.  The students will tangle some of these.
Our project is to make a lip balm.  We will find the melting point of shea butter and beeswax and make an emulsion of the 2 liquids after they melt. An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible
(un-blendable). Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems
of matter  called colloids  We'll add an emollient, almond oil, that keeps moisture from evaporating from the skin.  The kids get to add their own fragrances to engineer there own special type.