Students in 8th grade science are well into their chemistry unit of study. With that comes knowledge in laboratory safety and all students take a laboratory safety test to prove their knowledge. We are fortunate to be one of the few schools left in the area with working gas jets in the science lab. One of the labs we use the gas jets for is the flame test lab where students must test 5 different metal salt solutions to determine which metal produces which colored flame.
Another lab we did when we learned about endo and exothermic reactions is the famous Elephant's Toothpaste. If done correctly, Elephant's toothpaste is an exothermic reaction, meaning it gives off more heat energy than it absorbs and you can actually see and feel the steam given off. No, we did not create a reaction strong enough to reach the ceiling, much to the students' disappointment, but it was fun nonetheless!
