For many students, video content is a useful tool to supplement classroom learning and review concepts. At Crash Course, we create free online video courses on Youtube focused on a wide variety of subjects, from literature to chemistry. Over the past few months we have been making a new series of videos that are being uploaded weekly. Here you can find the presentation video and the YouTube channel:

The first part of the series is focused on the tools that help us understand organic chemistry, things like bonding, structure, and naming molecules. Once we have a basic toolbox, we start building molecules: from small molecules like ethanol to giant macromolecules like high-density polyethylene. In the second half of the course, we will get into multi-step synthesis of larger molecules. We’ll also look at important developments in the pharmaceutical industry because understanding organic chemistry is important in understanding health, medicine, and how the biochemistry of the body works. 

If this course sounds like a useful tool for your classroom or learning, you may also want to check out the Crash Course App (Google Play link here)! The app offers flashcards with review questions for each video in the organic chemistry series. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how a course like this is built and written, below is a message from the Content Manager of Crash Course, Ceri Riley, as well as a script excerpt.

A Presentation by the Content Manager of Crash Course

When I took Organic Chemistry in college, it was incredibly tricky to wrap my brain around substitution reactions. I relied heavily on memorization, and even then, when it came time to solve problems, I felt like I was guessing when it came to SN1 and SN2 mechanisms. I’m really glad our expert consultant, Dr. Kristen Procko, decided to break substitution reactions into two episodes. And in this introductory episode, there are a few helpful logical breakdowns of the differences between SN1 and SN2, from using general models, to playground metaphors, and specific examples. 

Sharing CC Organic Chemistry scripts feels definitely like sharing a rough draft, because Deboki Chakravarti’s performance as host and Thought Cafe’s animations add SO MUCH to this series. It’s one thing to see a reaction mechanism in a textbook or in a script, and it’s another to see it fully animated. That being said, it takes a team of experts to get all these small details right: we have a consultant, writer, and fact checker. This is one of the biggest content teams we’ve ever had, and it’s partially because there are so many tiny things to get right, from subscripts to spelling to making sure our logic is clear and we’re giving as many tips as possible to help students with this difficult material. 

Hopefully this excerpt sheds some light into our scripting process and gives a sneak peak at some reactions we’re going to learn in a few months on the channel. I’m really proud of how much we packed into this episode (and honestly, all of these episodes) and hope they help many people in the upcoming months and years! 

– Ceri Riley, script editor of CC Orgo and content manager of Crash Course

Script Excerpt of CCORG20: Intro to Substitution Reactions

In general chemistry, you might’ve heard substitution reactions called displacement reactions. Like two pairs of dance partners, two ionic compounds in water could swap ions when mixed, so the positive part of one compound ended up with the negative of the other. 

In organic chemistry, substitution reactions also involve switching partners, but they’re a little more complicated. We usually deal with single displacement reactions, where one group finds a new partner and the other has to… just… leave. And organic molecules are a bit more complicated than inorganic ions, so we’ll have to think carefully about stereochemistry. 

Don’t worry though. We got this. To help us figure out organic substitution reactions, we need three things:

Number 1:  A molecule containing an sp³-hybridized carbon, which we’re going to call the substrate. This sp³-hybridized carbon will have a leaving group attached to it.

Number 2:  That leaving group, which is an atom or group that can accept electron density, and stabilize the negative charge that will hold after “leaving” the substrate.

And Number 3:  A nucleophile, which is an atom or functional group that contains a lone pair or a pi bond, and is electron-rich by nature.

This is the general model of a substitution reaction, with placeholders. 

We can add in some real atoms and molecules here: the substrate is 1-bromobutane, which switches its bromide dance partner for hydroxide. In this reaction, the leaving group is a bromide ion, and the nucleophile is a hydroxide ion.

The Mechanisms of Substitution Reactions

As we’ve been discovering, organic chemistry is full of puzzles, so substitution reaction mechanisms can get a little tricky. Specifically, they can take two paths called S_N1 and S_N2. Depending on the path, we’ll see differences in stereochemistry and mechanism. 

Let’s adventure along one pathway, or one mechanism, at a time. And we’ll start with S_N1. The S is for substitution, the N is for nucleophilic, and the 1 is for unimolecular, which tells us about the reaction rate. 

There are two steps to an S_N1 reaction: formation of a carbocation and nucleophilic attack. To see what this looks like in a reaction mechanism, let’s use a general model again.

First, formation of the carbocation is the rate-determining step. We’ve got to wait for that  leaving group to pop off of the molecule with its electrons and give the carbon a positive charge. 

Since this could take awhile, we say this first process is the rate-determining step, or the slow step of the entire reaction. And the reason we call S_N1 reactions unimolecular is because the overall rate of this reaction depends on that one molecule, the substrate, losing its leaving group.

Okay, I know we can broadly visualize substitutions as dancing, but I like to picture the details with a playground. Specifically, a merry-go-round — you know, those spinny platforms where you sit and someone else pushes it in circles until you’re super dizzy? Suppose there was a merry-go-round that could only hold three kids. You’re the fourth, so you get stuck spinning your friends, waiting for one to get off so you can hop on. It always feels like forever before you get a turn. But that’s basically the first step of an S_N1 reaction.

Now, a carbocation is pretty irresistible to nucleophiles, so next the nucleophile attacks this intermediate and a bond is formed. Sort of like how you’d quickly jump onto a merry-go-round to take a turn when your friend finally hops off. Because it happens so quickly, this step does not determine the overall rate.

Moving on to S_N2 Reactions

Those were the basic steps along the S_N1 pathway… But in an S_N2 mechanism, the S is for substitution, the N is for nucleophilic, and the 2 is for bimolecular – because the reaction rate will depend on two molecules coming together, instead of one just falling apart. Our two molecules are the substrate and the nucleophile. 

In an S_N2 mechanism, there is no carbocation intermediate and the nucleophile plays a much more active role. It all happens in one big, dramatic swoop: the nucleophile does a backside attack, pushes out the leaving group, and the stereochemistry gets inverted….kind of like an umbrella that gets turned inside-out in a heavy wind storm.  

Specifically, it’s another one of those funky concerted reactions where bonds break and form at the same time. S_N2 mechanisms go through a stage that looks like a carbon with five bonds. But it’s not, because both the nucleophile and leaving group are attached with partial bonds. 

A partial bond means as one bond is forming, the other is breaking. Basically, the nucleophile starts to share its electrons but doesn’t want to fully commit until the leaving group leaves. And the substrate doesn’t want to fully let go of the leaving group until the nucleophile commits. Kind of like a passionate ballet with dancers joining hands or letting go. 

Or, going back to our merry-go-round metaphor, it’s like you’re spinning three friends again. But instead of waiting patiently for one of them to hop off, you push one friend away and sit down across from where they were. Then your other friends, to balance it out (or just to get away from you) shift over. S_N2 is a much rowdier playground than S_N1!

The post A Journey into Substitution Reactions by Crash Course appeared first on Chemistry Hall.

But the thing is, scientists like you and me are just like anybody else. We still use google and social media, except the information we want is lacking or just not as readily available. And that’s simply because scientists are just not as good at marketing themselves.

In this post, I’m going to discuss some ideas so that you can start networking as a scientist, share your existing scientific knowledge and even build yourself an invaluable reputation outside of your day-to-day colleagues. And this is true not only for chemistry, but for all science in general.

Science Communication Using Social Media

Let’s start with an easy one.

The likelihood is that you are already active on the major social media platforms; but just how much do you use it for your profession?

Once you know where to look, finding subjects and topics that other scientists have in common is fairly simple. All you need to do is get asking and answering questions or getting involved with the online discussion.

Twitter has a great search engine that lets you look for keywords or hashtags.

Knowing that #scicomm (short for ‘science communication’) is a relevant hashtag to start investigating, using a simple tool called hashtagify.me, I can look for similar keywords to get involved with, this gave me the following:

You can even find other scientists or other accounts that tweet solely on similar subjects, something that is more relevant to your field or interest.

Linkedin is a more ‘professional’ social media account to use. But apart from making connections with people you already know or wish to reach out to, there are endless groups that discuss topics of choice.

Reddit may not be the first social media channel that comes to mind, but there are massive communities there ready to get involved with the discussion.

r/chemistry has almost 1 million followers, r/physics has 1.1 million followers and r/biology has a massive 1.7 million followers.

That’s not even scratching the surface of the niche science subreddits; go over and find a conversation to get involved with!

Get Involved With The Public

With the ongoing interest in STEM subjects – especially amongst girls – getting involved with public engagement opportunities is easier than you might realise.

The concept is simple – you take cool and exciting scientific principles and share them in a fun and interactive way. Usually your target audience is young children, but you can engage with anybody that is willing to take part!

Finding opportunities is relatively easy; University and employers often run schemes or opportunities to get involved. But if not, a Google search will show other opportunities in your area.

Speaking Amongst Your Peers

Speaking publicly induces fear into many of us, but demonstrating your ability to others in your field can be highly rewarding, both personally and professionally.

Start small; take an opportunity to speak amongst your work or university colleagues. You don’t need to make a big event about it, but take opportunities to openly discuss successes and failures you’ve worked on, or any relevant scientific news or research you have recently discovered.

Speaking in front of people is definitely a skill; once you’re comfortable with small audiences and people you know, you can work your way to bigger and more experienced audiences.

Write For Relevant Websites

If you’re not much of a public speaker, writing may be more your thing – saying that, your potential audience has just got magnitudes bigger.

There are plenty of websites and blogs out there that will allow scientists like you to write about their knowledge and expertise.

All you have to do is a google search to find relevant topics. Try searching for the below phrases or tweak them yourself to find a blog suitable for you:

‘Science + guest post’

‘Science blog write for us’

‘Guest science writers’

Find a relevant website and get in touch with them. Introduce yourself – your scientific credentials and areas of knowledge – and ask for the chance to write a post.

You will usually get these posted with your own name as authorship and give you the chance to share your articles with your new social media audience, as per my previous tip!

Start Your Own Blog

If you want to go all out to promote yourself as a scientist as well as build the reputation of your community, why don’t you write a science blog?

Starting your own blog is a sure-fire way to get noticed in your industry, and is likely to build up an enviable reputation.

But you don’t have to keep it to yourself. Create a page to allow guest bloggers – as mentioned above – and further grow your network and allow your blog to become bigger and better.

Although all the points I have mentioned in this post so far will build up your science network, nothing will sound as impressive as running your own website.

Conclusions

At the end of the day, being a better science communicator is all about getting involved.

There are plenty of people in the world that don’t have the same professional or personal experiences you do, so you always can always find opportunities to ask for help or even give out your own advice.

Ultimately, good science comes from the power of discussion. You do not always need to agree with somebody else’s opinion or theory, but finding opportunities to get involved is always beneficial.

For many, imposter syndrome prevents people taking the first step to building their network. If this is you, start with some of the tips I’ve mentioned above that sound the easiest, and work your way. Remember the 1% rule; improving by 1% every day will make you 37 times better in just a year.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave a comment below or get in touch with me directly via the details in my author bio.

So, what are you waiting for?

About the Author:

Patrick Wareing, Masters Degree in Chemistry, has 5 years experience working in the lab as an analytical and formulation scientist for RB and Unilever. Now working in digital marketing, Patrick writes about digital marketing and science – often together – on his personal website – patrickwareing.com.

The post 5 Ways To Get Better At Science Communication In The 2020s appeared first on Chemistry Hall.

We have previously covered in another post how we think AI and machine learning are changing research in chemistry. It is even helping us in the way that we do scientific communication.

But what is digitalization, specifically, and what does it mean for enhancing the way the chemical industry works?

Let’s take a look.

What is Digitalization?

Digitalization is almost synonymous with computerised automation – in fact, “automation” was probably your first thought when you started reading this article. But it’s more than that. Digitalization is also about collecting and processing large amounts of data, and then the outcomes or actions of what that data tells us.

An action can be automated as instructed by specific algorithms and executed by machines, like adjusting pressure or heat, for example. It could also be a strategic policy created by human decision-makers, like a plant manager who decides to request parts for replacement if data shows extreme wear and tear on their equipment.

It’s true that in most cases, digitalization involves data that triggers an automated response. This can be:

• Sensors and devices – the input interface components that measure, scan, or receive information directly from the source. For example, an electronic pressure gauge or a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner that identifies objects, employee IDs, and equipment
• Edge computing – data processing on the “edge,” which involves speed or safety. The computing happens in the device itself or across various devices. A distributed system controls safety components like a compressor anti-surge loop or a safety integrity loop
• Connectivity – how devices, edge computing, and the Cloud are tied together into a homogenous system despite different specifications and standards. This is about compatibility and communication
• Analytics – the various applications that provide an analytical approach for understanding the results of diagnostics, logistics, inventory, and general trends
• The Cloud – a secure database where data can be stored, accessed, and used by either operators or programs

What Is the Status of Digitalization in the Chemical Industry?

Not all companies have full digitalization infrastructure in place – that’s typically because it’s such a huge investment of time, money, and resources. According to one study, just 4 out of 10 chemical companies expect that their business is more digital than their competitors.

Of all the companies in this survey that are digitalized:

• 40% are using digitalization to become more efficient
• 32% say they are applying digital technology to drive growth
• 11% are using digitalization to meet strategic goals

What Types of Challenges Does the Future Hold?

Despite the drive to modernise, the chemical industry is facing various challenges beyond competition. There are external challenges with complex implications such as those posed by the economy and new regulations.

1. Economic Challenges

There are interwoven and sometimes subtle factors that drive the chemical industry’s position within the economy. Despite recent infusion of capital investment to boost global capacity, the focus is largely on local markets.

Global growth in demand for chemical supplies has decreased, something that is indirectly connected to countries creating self-sufficient energy. Just two examples of this are the fading advantage of the Middle East in terms of oil production and the increasing self-sufficiency of China exerting significant pressure on the chemical industry.

Some level of uncertainty is also faced from end-users. Declining car production, for example, could result in lower demand for specialised automotive chemicals.

2. Regulatory Challenges

Another serious challenge to the chemical industry is to do with regulations. To illustrate this point, let’s think about the many countries that are (rightly) either banning or reducing the use of plastic bags. The process of manufacturing plastics involves chemicals, so this has a knock-on effect on the chemical industry as the overall demand for chemical products such as catalysts or reagents for polymerisation and polycondensation decrease. We’re not saying we should reintroduce plastic bags, by the way! Merely that it will affect the chemical industry.

How Digitalization Will Address these Challenges

Digitalization can help make significant improvements. Aside from raising the standards of competitiveness among chemical companies, digitalization can address the industry’s largest challenges in several ways:

• Cost-cutting – cut operational costs by automating complex manufacturing processes
• Efficiency – machines and workers will become more productive. We’ll save time, effort, energy, and resources
• Quality control – work processes will be more precise and accurate. Errors are minimised or eliminated while high-quality products are produced
• Safety – accidents and injuries can be prevented through continuous monitoring of the various stages of manufacturing. Parameters such as pressure, temperature, and chemical proportions are maintained at safe levels
• Security – monitor the movement of personnel within the facility. Any unauthorised person can easily be detected
• Research and development – data and analytics helps researchers develop new products
• Waste management – toxic materials or hazardous waste can be more easily handled, stored, and disposed of by digitally assessing the ratio of final product to waste
• Customer and end-user analytics – chemical companies will gain new insights to help them better respond to customer demand

Using digital technology to address the various challenges the chemical industry faces is no longer a nice-to-have. Change is inevitable and companies must, quite simply, learn to adapt – and reap the benefits of doing so.

The post What Is The Future Of Digitalization In The Chemical Industry? appeared first on Chemistry Hall.

Performing experiments and reporting them properly is a cornerstone of on your way into learning chemistry.

But how do you write a chemistry lab report properly?

It’s now time to find out!

Our ultimate guide sheds light on the main parts of lab report writing. You ought to be aware of every section and understand how to complete them properly. Therefore, we have divided our guide into three major sections that are:

1. Parts of the lab report;
2. A step-by-step review;
3. Writing your project.

General Information

It’s necessary to begin with an overview of the main sections that should be present on a laboratory report for chemistry.

Mind that sometimes these sections are called differently but have the same purpose. Some of the sections may be missing, but the general structure should be close to this. Everything depends on the educational institution.

It is important to know that usually lab reports are written after the lab session is finished. This means that you need to have everything previously recorded in your lab notebook. You are supposed to keep track of everything you do in the lab in your laboratory notebook, and then using that notebook to write down your lab report, not the other way around.

Reviewing Every Step

Now, we’d like to go through the main stages of a chemistry lab report. It’s necessary to add brief comments concerning each of them. Your laboratory report begins with a title page. You already know what it consists of. Let’s check how to compose it correctly. The information must be presented on the upper right-hand side of the page. All the points (the title, your name, collaborators, etc.) should be mentioned on the separate line.

Afterward comes the second part, which includes:

• The course title
• Title of the experiment
• Title of the parts within the experiment
• Semester, year, etc. (optional)

This data appears in the middle of the title page.

The next section is the Introduction and it begins with this word in the left upper corner of your report. It should consist of no more than a couple of paragraphs and end with at least one hypothesis.

The body of your project consists of the procedure, materials and methods employed; data; results and observations.  The section Procedure commonly consists of several steps that were followed for the proper conduction of the experiment(s). They could be divided in different parts, and those would describe your actions.

The section Data contains the numerical facts and Observations that provide the changes that took place. Afterwards, you move to the Discussions, in which you ought to plainly explain all the numbers, observations and collected data. Your conclusions provide an overall summary of the entire lab report, and the whole experimental session itself.

Writing a Chemistry Lab Report

The last lap in our “race” is to write a laboratory report. We have already mentioned the main constituents of the title page. Therefore, we can hit the text of your project. Your abstract appears soon after the title page. An abstract is a quick summary that sums up the whole thing (hypothesis to be proven, and conclusions that are reached). Nonetheless, you should leave some space and skip it until the entire project is finished. It is recommended to write the abstract last. The main point is that this section provides a brief review of what your lab report is about and what you’ve managed to achieve.

Main Sections

The introductory part tells your readers what to expect from the project. Write a couple o paragraphs and explain the purpose of your experiment. Including references here is also highly encouraged. The last sentence of your introduction is called a hypothesis or a thesis statement. It shows what you hope to achieve at the end of your research.

The main body consists of several parts and of course, each has its purpose. You should introduce the materials and methods you need to conduct the research. Explain your choice and how your choice helps to conduct a safe and accurate study.

Take instant records of everything that happens during the experiment in your lab notebook. Never rely on your memory!

Afterwards, you’ll interpret the data and explain it using plain words. Don’t draw any conclusions when you record data and don’t explain it in the section called Results. This function should be fulfilled in the sections Discussions or Analysis sections, which should come right afterwards.

Your conclusion makes a brief summary. It should consist of 3-4 sentences, not many more. Restate your hypothesis in other words. Mention whether you’ve achieved your initial goal and explain its value.

Importantly, do realize that if a hypothesis cannot be proven, or an experiment doesn’t give you the results you expected, it doesn’t mean that your experiment and lab session was a failure. It is extremely common in chemistry to find yourself on this kind of situations! You only need to be able to explain why you got the results that you got, and how would you go around to fix them!

Further Sections on Your Report

Don’t forget about the contributors (labmates, supervisiors…) to your research.

You should also obligatorily use some secondary sources to support your theory. Therefore, you have to cite and make references according to the assigned writing format. You can reference other articles all over your manuscript (especially in the introduction and discussion sections), but don’t forget to put them together (or at the bottom of each page), and cite them properly.

The final step is to proofread your lab report. You’re free to use reading aloud and in your head, reading everything again, and using special grammar and spelling checking applications.

To sum up, keep in mind all these guidelines when you’re assigned to write a lab report. Thus, you’ll never miss something important, which can cost you essential grades. Write each section properly to receive the highest grades for your experiment. Always be clear, cite the appropriate references, and be objective with your analysis and conclusions!

The post How to Write the Perfect Chemistry Lab Report: A Definitive Guide appeared first on Chemistry Hall.

Even more complicated was the situation for students studying chemistry. This is because chemistry is not only a tough subject, but it requires utter concept traction as well. 

Thanks to advances in technology, all this has now changed. Today, it is easier for a student to find online tools that offer chemistry lessons. Whether you need chemistry homework help or simply looking for an avenue to learn, you can get all that on the internet. 

Perhaps the best thing about e-learning is that it is more flexible. This way, you are able to balance your schedule well to meet all your daily demands, without compromising on your chemistry studies. 

While online learning has numerous benefits, there are different emerging challenges that students face on a daily basis. As expected, since the online learning bubble busted, a number of resources were made available.

This is a good thing for students. However, with a tremendous amount of resources available, it can be difficult to understand how to use them. 

So how can you use these resources to improve your understanding of chemistry? This article will guide you on what to do in a bid to use the online resources effectively. Hopefully, they will go a long way in ensuring that you improve in your chemistry class. 

Treat Online Resources Like Real Classroom Resources

The first step to using online resources to your advantage is to, first of all, identify and treat these resources as real classroom resources. Although they may not fully act like physical resources such as books and pamphlets, it’s important to know that they offer equal, if not more, information on chemistry lessons. 

Whether you are using these resources for free or paying for them, always remember to follow through with your dedication to using them as though they were your textbooks or library resources. 

Additionally, if the classes are offered on live streams, ensure to follow through with the classes by strictly adhering to the set schedule. Remember that once you miss an online class, you will have difficulty catching up with the lost class, just like in the physical setting.

Many examples of chemistry courses available online, for different levels, can be found in this reddit post.

Hold Yourself Accountable

As mentioned before, online resources, just like physical learning, come with a lot of challenges. Perhaps using these resources offer an even bigger challenge in terms of concentration.

To successfully use online resources to better understand your chemistry lessons, you should first ensure to hold yourself accountable for everything. This includes identifying what your syllabus is set to cover throughout the semester and working hard to complete all the set units. 

If you find it difficult to ensure that you are accountable, try pairing up with one or two classmates. This way, they will help you take into account what needs to be done at each and every step of your learning process. 

Manage Your Time Well

Regardless of whether you are studying online or physically in a school, possessing impeccable time management skills play an integral role in your overall success. 

While the flexibility to develop a schedule that fits you is one of the most alluring factors to consider when studying online, you should always remember that the freedom that comes with it can be detrimental to your success. 

Without a solid time management system in place, you will not only find yourself with a lot to cover days before the exam, but you will not have time to fully grasp every chemistry concept. 

Make Sure to Stay Organized

Another important element to using online resources to better understand your chemistry classes is to ensure you stay organized. This means organizing all your resources in a manner that makes it easier for you to not only access but use it as well. 

The first step to getting organized is to ensure that you dedicate a specific learning environment. The reason for dedicating a specific study environment is that you will be able to develop a study routine. 

This way, you can achieve a steady routine and be able to better grasp your chemistry concepts with ease. 

Participate Actively

Since chemistry can be quite difficult to understand, it’s of utmost importance to ensure that you actively participate in all your online courses. 

Whether lessons are offered on a live stream or posted on a website, you should ensure to find a way to engage both your teachers and fellow students as well. This way, you will stand a better chance of grasping all the concepts with ease. 

Eliminate Any Distractions

Apart from different forms of online distractions, you can always expect a host of different distractions while using online resources to improve in your chemistry class. 

In order to use these resources effectively, it’s paramount to ensure that you limit any distractions while studying. However, the kind of distractions you will experience while using online resources will solely depend on your own preference and personality.

On one hand, a student would prefer to remove any form of distractions, in the form of noise, by playing music. On the other hand, another student will prefer to study in a completely silent environment.

Regardless of the place or environment, you prefer to study in, there are common things that you should do to mitigate any form of distractions.

One of the things you should always ensure to do is to switch off your phone. This way, you will avoid any forms of distractions in the form of text messages and incoming calls. 

Break Down Tasks

As mentioned before, studying chemistry can be tough. So, how do you deal with such a subject that requires an in-depth understanding? 

The best way is to break down different tasks that have to do with the subject. Consider using other online resources to help you identify and break down the different tasks that you have to accomplish.

This way, you will not only be organized, but you will grasp all the concepts in your chemistry class. 

The post How to Use Online Resources for Learnig Chemistry appeared first on Chemistry Hall.

We have also covered the great advantages of playing around at home with a chemistry set for kids. You can also check out our reviews there.

Not only kids are allowed to learn science, though! High school is an even more important period for getting interested in STEM. The best way to feed teens interest is letting them play with science experiments kits designed for teenagers.

With massive variations in subject matter and the involvement of maths, it is no wonder more students are struggling to keep up with biology, physics and chemistry than ever before. So when it comes to inspiring children to be more interested in the sciences, and to succeed in learning, having a little input is essential.

So how can we inspire children to learn science, or chemistry?

Here are just a few ways you can provide a little inspiration and make science fun (which is key for motivating kids) for children.

Think Outside the Box

It can be tempting to consider science a relatively ‘dry’ subject, but there is far more you can do to inspire learning beyond textbooks and simple experiments. Chemistry concepts can seem difficult to grasp at the beginning.

Science affects every part of the world around us, from the effects of evolution to the chemical interactions in anything from our food to our household cleaning products.

By thinking outside the box, it’s possible to give children a way to enjoy science in new and exciting ways. Whether it’s watching an enjoyable nature documentary to discover more about natural selection or examining the effects of physics in the real world, being a little more creative and exploring science in new ways can be an excellent way to get inspired.

Invest in One-on-One Support

While teachers do their best to offer a well-rounded experience to all their students, it does mean they are stretched thin when it comes to providing extra care and attention. 93% of parents in the UK experience anxiety surrounding their child’s education, and science can be a particularly tricky subject.

But investing in some one-on-one help, via a specialised science tutor, could be the perfect way to gain the interest of the child and provide them with a helping hand to understand the more difficult concepts. This especially applies to subjects where equations and mathematics are required, areas of science that don’t come easy to many kids (or parents).

Relate Science to Subjects Your Child Already Enjoys

As previously mentioned, science is all around us. So when it comes to the interests of your children, whether it’s playing sports, drawing or even playing video games, science is a daily part of those activities.

Helping your child to relate science with play is an excellent way to get them more inspired about learning; because they’re learning about a subject they are personally interested in.

Whether it’s the physics involved in scoring a football goal, the chemicals in pencils and paper that allow them to draw or the electronics within their games console, there’s a little bit of science in everything.

For children interested in how the world around them works, relating science to subjects they enjoy is a particularly powerful choice.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get Physical

Many of us, our children included, don’t learn best when it comes to copying off the board or reading from textbooks. These activities are relatively passive, and as such, it’s easy for vital information to be forgotten or muddled if children aren’t provided with a way to make that knowledge ‘stick’.

Getting physical with science – also known as practical science – is a fantastic way to motivate and inspire children to learn science, and also provides a new and more engaging way to connect those dots beyond simple theory. Performing experiments is an excellent way to show, instead of tell, when it comes to how science works, whether it’s biological processes or chemical reactions.

Particularly in chemistry, experiments are everything. No matter if you a just growing some crystals, or making a soda/vinegar volcano, doing fun experiments at home can be the key that transforms some “boring science” into one of the best and most fun things a child can experience!

Playing around with molecular models can also be a fun alternative!

Be Enthusiastic – or Bring Someone in Who Is

Children are most inspired when they see enthusiasm and interest from others.

So when it comes to science, showing just how interested you are in the subject matter they are learning can make a world of difference. But if science isn’t your thing, don’t be afraid to bring in outside help to provide that fascination and enthusiasm for you. 43% of parents employ tutors intending to improve their child’s grades, but a tutor can be just as much a source of inspiration for your child as they can be a way to get results.

A child that is enthusiastic about learning is a child that learns more, and providing a role model for that interest is a great place to start.

Everything is Chemistry!

Everything we can see, anything around us is made up of chemicals! Therefore, you can find a scientific reasoning to explain most common facts. We have previously covered a big list of 100 fun chemistry facts, all explained, which can be a great starting point for finding stuff that can be of interest to your kids.

Inspiring children to understand and learn science is easy if you think beyond the basics. Whether hiring a tutor sounds like the perfect solution, or getting out in nature sounds like the best way, going the extra mile does make all the difference to their learning and knowledge building in the long term.

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Scientists have been working tirelessly to answer this question for hundreds of years ever since the first element, phosphorus, was discovered using scientific means by Hennig Brand in 1669. While Hennig’s initial intention wasn’t to discover a new element (he was actually trying to obtain gold from urine), his discovery was a jump-start to the scientific search for more elements.

The discovery of the majority of the elements on the periodic table over the course of the past 300 years has helped scientists to understand a great deal more about the composition of the universe (we are always trying to see and comprehend what’s making everything up).

However, these elements only represent a small percentage of what we actually know is out there. What makes up the rest of it? 

What is the Composition of the Universe?

So what is the universe made of?

What if I told you that an incredible 95% of the universe was made up of “stuff” that’s invisible to scientists with the current means at their disposal?

And because of this, they aren’t able to fully understand it or study it and can only work off of what they have theorized from observing the various parts of the universe that they CAN see. 

The Composition of the Universe: Dark Energy

Of this 95% of “stuff,” dark energy makes up a large portion of it. It accounts for 68% of the universe, to be exact. But what is dark energy, and why is there so much of it? 

Dark energy is an unknown form of energy that scientists believe is causing the universe to expand at an increasing rate. Scientists had originally hypothesized that the expansion of the universe would be decelerating due to the combined gravitational pull of objects on one another, but the exact opposite has been found. 

This video sums it up in great way:

Thanks to studies done by the Hubble space telescope on the expansion rate of the universe, they believe that this is happening due to an immense amount of dark energy working against the pull of gravity. These studies have led scientists to believe that dark energy far outweighs regular matter and dark matter, and this is how they determined the large percentage of the universe it makes up. 

Sixty-eight percent of the total universe is an incredible amount of energy to have out there expanding an already massive universe. Since it’s such a large and mysterious part of our universe, it’s no surprise that scientists have a variety of explanations for dark energy. 

The Composition of the Universe: Dark Matter

Now, what makes up the other 27% of the universe? While the name may be similar, dark matter is not related to dark energy except for the fact that it can’t be seen or studied by scientists, as it neither emits nor absorbs light. 

While dark energy is a force that is expanding the universe, dark matter is similar to regular matter in that it has an effect on gravity but it doesn’t exist in the form of matter that we are used to. 

If we can’t see it, how do we know it’s there? 

When they look at the motion of objects in space, they see gravitational effects too strong to be explained by the matter we see. Thus, scientists have determined that there must be some sort of dark matter out there. Since dark matter can’t be seen, it is simpler for scientists to look at it in terms of what it isn’t than what it is. NASA has determined that it can’t be normal matter in the form of dark clouds, as we would be able to detect the absorption of radiation passing through them. Nor can it be antimatter, since no gamma rays are produced from annihilating with matter. They also ruled out galaxy-sized black holes, as no gravitational lenses were noticed when encountering light. 

Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs)

A common theory among scientists is that dark matter is made up of more exotic material, such as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). 

A WIMP is an electromagnetically neutral subatomic particle. They are thought to be heavy and slow moving, and they don’t bump into each other like regular particles do, hence the “weakly interacting” name. Although WIMPs have been the best candidate for what makes up dark matter, some believe that the hopes for this to prove true have been dashed. 

The Small Part of the Universe That We Do Understand

Now that we’ve taken a look at the part of the universe that is, for all intents and purposes, invisible and far more mysterious than scientists would like, it’s time to explore the small portion of the universe that we are able to understand. 

The last 5% of the universe is made up of matter, which is defined as the substance or substances of which any physical object consists. 

To put it more simply, everything we know is made up of matter. From the computer you’re reading this on to the air you’re breathing to the food you’re about to have for dinner, all of it is made up of matter. 

What Makes Up Matter?

Matter can come in the form of a solid, gas, liquid, or plasma and is made up of atoms. These atoms make up the elements on the periodic table, which then combine into compounds to create everything we know. 

Now, let’s explore how much of this 5% of the universe the most common elements make up. 

The four most common elements that matter is composed of are hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and carbon. As we covered in our list of 100 chemistry facts, hydrogen accounts for an incredible 75% of all matter, with helium accounting for 23%, oxygen for 1%, and carbon for just 0.5%. The abundance of the rest of the elements begins to drop off after that, with many accounting for just <0.0001% of the of the small amount of matter in the universe. 

All these elements make up everything we see or touch. From our human body to all of the most dangerous chemicals in the world.

Why are hydrogen and helium the most abundant elements in the universe? 

That question can be answered by the Big Bang, which is what led to the formation of the universe. During this time, the lightest elements, hydrogen and helium, were created. Lithium and beryllium were made as well, but only in trace amounts. As stars formed and came together into galaxies, the rest of the elements were created through nuclear reactions and stellar explosions.

Stars begin as thin clouds of hydrogen gas that turn into large, dense spheres. Once the star reaches a certain size, nuclear fusion begins and creates the star’s incredible amount of energy. When hydrogen atoms are fused together, they transform into heavier elements like helium, oxygen, and carbon. 

However, Earth’s composition is quite different from that of the rest of the universe. While hydrogen and helium make up 98% of all the matter in the universe, their combined mass only accounts for less than 1% of Earth’s crust. The most abundant element on Earth is oxygen, which makes up 47% of Earth’s mass. Eight different elements account for 98.5% of Earth’s crust; the composition of the mantle and core will need more advanced research to be determined. 

So for now, much of the composition of the universe remains a mystery. But with the many advances in science, we can only hope that there will come a day when scientists are finally able to “see” the dark energy and dark matter that have confounded us for so long. 

About the author

Alan Bernau Jr. is the owner of Alan’s Factory Outlet, a family business he inherited from his father. When not running the business, he enjoys creating educational resources that touch on a variety of topics, such as science, nature, history, and space. You can find Alan on Twitter at @abernaujr. 

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