WEST POINT, N.Y. (Nov. 3, 2011) -- During the annual West Point Elementary School Book Fair, cadets and faculty from the Chemistry and Life Sciences Department, members of the Chemistry Honor Society, Gamma Sigma Epsilon, and the American Chemical Society entertained children with demonstrations of science Oct. 26.
"It's a nice break teaching instead of being taught," Class of 2012 Cadet Matthew McDuffie said. "It's fun to show children what we do all the time."
McDuffie showed the children how to create an elephant's toothpaste and show how chemicals combine to change the nature of the original substance. By adding hydrogen peroxide to potassium iodide and liquid dishwashing soap, it changes the chemical composition into foam that seems to grow out of a large glass beaker. It also demonstrates an exothermic reaction because the glass beaker, as the foam rises, becomes hot.
Other cadets made animal balloons, and then froze them in liquid nitrogen. Some children were OK with that, but others were not too happy the cadets ruined their balloon animals.
In another experiment, Class of 2012 Cadet Avinash Chaurasia, a future pediatrician, showed how fire could grow by adding small particles, like kindling, to help start fires rather than igniting a log.
"If we can get children to remember what they saw here, they may want to go into the science field," Chaurasia said.
Children also learned about polymers, substances made up of many molecules, by making their own gak. Mixing simple mixtures such as Elmer's Glue and Borax soap allowed children to see the substance change into a kind of goopy mix, like putty or slime.
The fire demonstration was the main attraction, according to many participants. Pablo Sanches had a different idea.
"When he froze the balloons in that stuff, I thought that was neat," Sanches said. "I like the fire, but the frozen balloons were the best. I like science."
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