Wizards of Chemistry Explode in Darien Library
NEIRAD enilno edition
Little kids often link chemistry to funny scientists with crazy hair and big explosions. For chemistry students the experience isn’t that simplistic childhood vision. That is until chemistry teachers Cathy Ermann and Dick Heberton made the vision come true.
The two science teachers showed their Wizards of Chemistry presentation to their students on Halloween. The lesson included enough pop and noise to satisfy the kid is everyone. Wizards of Chemistry is aproduction filled with cool and educational demos.
“It’s great fun,” Mrs. Ermann said. “It sparks an interest in science and chemistry,” Mr. Heberton added.
The two chemistry teachers are taking their show to the Darien Library to inspire elementary students and the community about the wonders of chemistry. Everything relates to so-called real-life applications. It will be on Feb. 22. A time for this event has not yet been set.
Experiments include fizzing, explosions, changing liquids to solids and more. One demo will explain how the colors of fireworks are made. The colored flames use the same chemicals found in most fireworks.
In another experiment the two teachers blows the lid from a paint can using a fine powder ignited by a candle. This process is the same one that happens when silos of wheat blow up. The dust from the wheat has a high surface area, and if a spark or flame is introduced into the silo by mistake, the dust will burn very rapidly, produce a lot of carbon dioxide gas and blow up.
“We also make "Elephant's Toothpaste" by adding a catalyst (which speeds up a reaction) and producing copious amounts of bubbles very quickly,” Mrs Ermann said .
Mrs. Ermann has presented hundreds of these performances throughout New York and Connecticut. She started doing them when she was a student at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. “Mr Heberton is a new Wizard, but it seems like he has the potential to become a Master Wizard,” Mrs Ermann said.
The 45-minute library event will be a bit less on the explosions to avoid frightening the child audience. “I thought it was really cool how she showed us all of the experiments. It was very entertaining,” sophomore Julia Luz said.
The teachers are quite excited and passionate about this show. Mrs. Ermann told a story about a biochemistry teacher who brought his child. He told Mrs. Ermann these demos made him want to teach biochemistry.
For those with little siblings or kids to babysit, the Wizards of Chemistry can help offer a fun way to entertain them. It may also help reignite the childhood passion for a science sure to delight with its explosive curriculum content.
