from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor

Recently, I have spent many hours working with seven students as they develop their own demonstrations and hands-on activities focusing on elements—the theme of this year’s National Chemistry Week (NCW)—“Chemistry—It’s Elemental!” What a special privilege this has been for me. My love of chemistry and my desire to share that love with others is coming to life in these students. Giving students the opportunity to “do chemistry” is one of my primary goals, and these students are doing that as they teach others how to do chemistry safely. The students have taken ideas from past laboratory experiments—the lighting of a piece of Mg ribbon, or video clips from Periodic Table Live! (the addition of sodium to water, see image below)—or searches through the literature, especially the Journal of Chemical Education (JCE) and the Internet, and adapted them to fit their presentation style.

(http://www.chemeddl.org/collections/ptl/PTL/elements/Na/frames.html)

This came about when a faculty member at my school asked if I would be interested in reaching out to a small, private school in downtown Indianapolis, IN. I answered with a resounding Yes! The school’s eighth-grade science teacher was thrilled to have us come to her two science classes of 21 students each. When I asked our junior and senior classes for volunteers, seven students—3 boys and 4 girls—immediately came forward and were really excited to share their passion for chemistry with the younger students, especially during NCW. This kind of student enthusiasm makes me feel very special as a teacher.

As I write this editorial, the students are still developing some of the demonstrations. The school visit will occur in two weeks, during NCW. They have already selected demos and hands-on activities that focus on elements in groups 1, 2, 16, 17, and 18. The students have taken charge of their own organization and planning; my role has been to make sure everything is safe and the materials the students need are available.

In the December 2009 issue of the Journal, the article by McCarthy and Widanski especially spoke to me about the importance of my role as a high school chemistry teacher. The authors report on “chemistry anxiety” and address several issues from their research. Their data on different types of chemistry anxiety indicate that handling chemicals ranked second of chemistry anxieties, more anxiety-provoking even than learning chemistry. By allowing my students to share their passion for chemistry with younger students, I hope the younger students will see the passion and “fun” of exploring chemistry and not have as many fears as they grow up. This also gives the older students the opportunity to handle chemicals in a new situation and to plan, test, and perform a demonstration. I hope this lowers the older students’ anxiety.

This type of exchange that we have with our students and then share with each other in the Journal is what teaching is all about, from my perspective. So, as 2009 draws to a close, remember that Erica and I are here to help each of you share ideas from your classroom, a laboratory, an activity, and so forth with your fellow colleagues. Just ask.

Erica’s Take on the Issue
from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor

I was glad Laura highlighted McCarthy and Widanski’s article. High school educators browsing through the table of contents of the December 2009 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education might think the triangle () next to “Assessment of Chemistry Anxiety in a Two-Year College” is a typo. Don’t let the title fool you. The article discusses the existence of anxiety toward chemistry in three areas: learning chemistry, chemistry evaluation, and handling chemicals. The authors state, “Recognizing the existence [of chemistry anxiety] is the first step in reducing negative attitudes toward chemistry”—an issue of which educators on any level should be aware.

American Chemical Society 2010 Spring Meeting

If you are attending the ACS’s spring national meeting in San Francisco, don’t miss the High School Day program. The meeting’s overall theme is “Chemistry for a Sustainable World”; the High School Day organizers are coordinating their program with this theme. Early materials state that presentations will “make the case for green chemistry” and will include hands-on activities, information about available resources, and discussion of how to smoothly implement green chemistry in your own curriculum. JCE will present “Go Green for Earth Day with the Journal of Chemical Education”, which will include JCE resources for the green chemistry theme and Earth Day 2010, and a soon-to-be-published JCE Classroom Activity.

JCE High School Chemed Learning Information Center (CLIC)

By Dan Toomey, Edgewood Middle School, Madison, Wisconsin

I have used “A Kool Reaction from the Fine Print” JCE Classroom Activity with my 8th grade students as guided-inquiry method in order to introduce atoms. (This activity is the one that was done in the Chemistry Comes Alive! Part 4 NSDL/NSTA Web Seminar on October 15.) We began the lesson discussing why it is important to read the fine print on labels, and I passed around packages of Kool-Aid and asked students to locate any important instructions. As we discussed labels I realized that many of my students are not well versed at reading labels. There were good observations regarding the ingredients in Kool-Aid, and I asked them why it might be important not to store things in metal containers.

Student responses were varied, and I asked them what the Kool-Aid and steel wool might look like at their smallest sizes. In other words, I tried to get students to start thinking about what the Kool-Aid and steel wool were made of at the atomic scale. We launched into the activity, and as might be expected there was much joy after students observed the color change. After the activity, we discussed what was occurring at the molecular level between the substances involved, and we looked closer at iron as an element and its properties. We are beginning our chemistry unit, and will focus on the NSES and AAAS standards associated with matter. NSES: Matter is made of minute particles called atoms, and atoms are composed of even smaller components. AAAS: All matter is made up of atoms. In the 5E Learning Cycle, this activity is a great example of students engaged in the unit. As we continue to explore and engage with other activities, the class can refer back to this activity and continue to add to our understanding of elements, matter, atoms, moles, and strong and weak acids.  Who would have thought steel wool and Kool-Aid could lead to that?

What can you and your students learn from videos showing reactions of the elements? A lot! The link below is to an article that describes what we learned from videos that show elements reacting with air, water, acids, and base and how what the video showed compared with textbook descriptions. Tied to this year’s National Chemistry Week theme, Chemistry: It’s Elemental!, this article is fascinating reading for anyone interested in chemical reactions.

Article: Seeing is Believing: Learning from Periodic Table Live! Videos

Copyright 2009, Journal of Chemical Education, Division of Chemical Education, Inc. Reprinted with permission

Would your students like to use Facebook for science networking? Would you like them to? The link below goes to an article from the Journal of Chemical Education that describes the Elements on Facebook project which allows your students to support their favorite element.

This makes a great opportunity to engage students and the public in National Chemistry Week. We are having a contest to see which element is the most popular by the end of National Chemistry Week (October 24). Encourage each of your students to become a fan of their favorite element.

Article: Become a Fan: Support Your Favorite Element on Facebook

Copyright 2009, Journal of Chemical Education, Division of Chemical Education, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

Most popular elements as of August 15, 2009:

Would you like to excite your students with an interactive periodic table that contains videos, graphing, data, and more? Here’s what it looks like.

Read about Periodic Table Live! and try it with your students! PTL! is a free resource available from the ChemEd DL at http://www.chemeddl.org/collections/ptl/index.html.

This post contains a PDF file of an article from the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education. The article describes how Periodic Table Live! can be used effectively in both high school and college courses. Because the Periodic Table Live! is available in a wiki, students can contribute to the information it contains and  assignments can be structured so that students find information about the elements and share that information with others.

Article: periodictableliveexcitesstudents-jce2009p1167.pdf

Copyright 2009 by Journal of Chemical Education, Division of Chemical Education, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor

The rush is over. No, not preparing a classroom for the onslaught of new students or tweaking curriculum. The conference rush. As I write these words, I am happy to have achieved my goal of surviving August, which included two meetings within the space of three weeks. (Cue a sigh of relief.) These recent experiences remain on my mind as I process items collected at the Fall American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting in Washington, DC. As such, an article that wouldn’t normally be on my radar as one to mark of interest to high school teachers caught my attention. In the table of contents for the November 2009 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education, you’ll find a next to Mabrouk’s article. She reports on a Web-based survey of undergraduates who presented their research at Fall ACS National Meetings in 2007 and 2008. The article sparked two parallel trains of thought. One, it took me back to my first conference presentation as an undergraduate, at a Spring ACS National Meeting, after completing a summer research project. Two, it led me to reflect on my attendance at recent meetings and how high school educators might participate in these same meetings.

As an undergraduate, my participation mirrored that of Mabrouk’s respondents. I attended symposia, poster sessions, the exposition, and an organized social event. My participation remains similar these days, although my exposition time now naturally includes time staffing the JCE booth. Are you aware an ACS Meeting offers many events of interest to high school educators? The most widely advertised is the High School Day Program. This fall’s varied program had presentations on the upcoming National Chemistry Week periodic table theme, including a hands-on construction activity from JCE (see photo, as well as JCE’s October 2009 issue), a process-oriented, guided-inquiry learning (POGIL) experience, chocolate research (samples included!), and a demonstration show. The reduced high school teacher registration fee of $90 included the full meeting, all technical sessions, and exposition admission.

Formally organized activities are just one part of the larger conference experience. I agree with Mabrouk’s statement that “participation in informal activities is peculiarly valuable”. As an undergraduate, a loosely organized lunch for members of Alpha Chi Sigma attending the meeting resulted in an introduction to Nobel Prize winner Glenn Seaborg. My recent ACS conference had similar chance encounters. At the exposition, I met Ivan Amato, managing editor of Chemical & Engineering News. During our brief conversation, I shared my thoughts about the magazine’s conversion to digital issues. A random passerby overheard my comments and chimed in that she agreed, as well.

Future meetings will continue to offer similar opportunities. Jeffrey Hepburn, the winner of the 2010 James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching, will deliver his award address at the Spring 2010 ACS National Meeting in San Francisco. The Division of Chemical Education High School Committee will continue its discussions. There will be a wide range of symposia, to join as a presenter or an attendee. As a high school educator, what are your thoughts about attending (or not) such meetings?

Activity Tester Team

Thank you to those who have responded to the call for JCE Classroom Activity testers in last month’s issue. I quickly put Dani Meyers of Colorado Academy to work; she served as a tester for this issue’s Classroom Activity. Thanks, Dani! There’s still room on the team. Interested? Contact me.

Laura’s Take on the Issue
from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor

Many teachers really enjoy doing chemical demonstrations in their classes and other venues. I certainly fall into this category; however, in spite of this, I do not actually do very many demonstrations in my classroom. I prefer to allow my students as much time as possible to do chemistry on their own in the laboratory. There are times when I am willing to trade student laboratory time for demonstration time when the demo fits nicely into my curriculum. Allen, Anderson, and Mattson’s demonstration is one of those. I plan to insert “The Remarkable Chemistry of Potassium Dioxide(1−)” into my prelab instruction when students do a gas synthesis lab to make four gases and test the chemical properties of these gases (see the online supplement). With this one demonstration, I can show students techniques they need for the lab, discuss safety parameters, and provide further information about a new chemical. This helps me to maximize the students’ laboratory time and perform a useful demonstration.

JCE High School Chemed Learning Information Center (CLIC)

This links below describe a neat way for your students to do research on a particular element and display their results to your entire class. Each student constructs an icosahedron with a different kind of information about an element on each of the 20 faces. The icosahedra are then hung from the classroom ceiling in the form of a periodic table. This is a great idea for National Chemistry Week (Oct. 19-23). Information about the elements can be found from Periodic Table Live!, an interactive periodic table available form the ChemEd DL.

This material is reprinted with permission from the Journal of Chemical Education, which holds copyright to the material.

Article. Periodic Table Icosahedra

Supplemental directions for doing the activity and making an icosahedron. Supplemental Directions

Periodic Table Presentations and Inspirations

by Mary E. Saecker

Graphic Representations of the Periodic System

The 2009 ACS National Chemistry Week theme of “Chemistry—It’s Elemental” celebrates the elegant, orderly, and inspirational icon of chemistry, the periodic table. However, as John Moore points out in his August 2003 editorial, Turning the (Periodic) Tables (1), there is not one periodic table:

An enormously successful way of summarizing and classifying the physical and chemical properties of the elements and many of their compounds is to display the element symbols in a format that emphasizes similarities and differences by means of graphic design—a periodic table. Notice that I said a periodic table, not the periodic table.

There have been (2, 3) and continue to be (4) many informative ways to present information about the elements and to represent their properties in graphic form. Numerous articles have appeared presenting various arrangements of the periodic system throughout the history of this Journal (5). A large collection of periodic tables and periodic table formulations can be found in Mark Leach’s online Database of Periodic Table Formulations (6).

In celebration of the Journal’s treatment of this rich subject, several three-dimensional periodic table construction patterns (Figure 1) have been redrawn, and the patterns and construction directions are available in the online material:
A. cut-out chart of the periodic system: cylinder (7);
B. periodic table as a building: variation 1 (8);
C. periodic table as a building: variation 2 (8).

Figure 1. The three constructions can be seen in more detail by clicking on the thumbnail image below. Use the back button to return here. Patterns from which to create 3-D periodic tables are in a PDF file.PerTableTemplates

Three-dimensional constructions are one way to visualize the periodic table. Online interactive periodic tables bring additional dimensions to the design and the way information about the elements can be displayed (9). For example:

Dynamic Periodic Table is an interactive periodic table with many options for what and how the information is displayed (10);

It’s Elemental—The Periodic Table from Chem. Eng. News. links each element to images, information, and a captivating essay (11);

Periodic Spiral is an interactive program that allows users to explore the elements and their interplay (12);

Periodic Table Live! contains videos, interactive crystal structures, a graphing module, and information about the elements, their reactions, their properties, their structures and their histories (13);

A Visual Interpretation of the Periodic Table by The Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) integrates the science and symbolism of the elements and includes Periodic Landscapes, three-dimensional panoramas derived from trends within the periodic table (14).

Periodic Table as Muse and To Amuse

The periodic table has inspired many people to recreate the world through its powerful lens. This chemical muse has captured the imagination of writers, singers, artists, chefs. Such artistic works inspired by the periodic table include:

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (15) contains 21 essays, each named after and inspired by an element; it is the periodic table as metaphor for life.

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood (16) is Oliver Sacks’s loving ode to his childhood fascination with the periodic table and his relationship with each element.

Camille Minichino has written periodic table mysteries featuring retired physicist Gloria Lamerino (17); the first eight elements have been featured in the series so far.

In their play Oxygen (18), Carl Djerassi and Roald Hoffmann explore scientific discovery through the discoverers of oxygen.

The Poetic Table of Elements gathers original poems about the elements (19).

Chemist and artist Langley Spurlock and poet John M. Tarrat collaborate to create a fusion of image and verse in a multimedia and haiku celebration of the elements (20).

Beautiful renditions of the periodic table have been made by many artists, including students (21), printmakers (22), and a chemist turned woodworker and photographer (23).

The elegance and order of the periodic table, combined with the idea of a single chart to organize information, has inspired “periodic tables” on many topics other than chemistry (6). These tables of information have their own elements, with unique symbols, and a unique periodicity. The arrangement of the elements is determined by the items in the table. Some examples of this kind include:

A Periodic Table of the Artist’s Colors (24)—organizes shades of embroidery floss on a needlepointed table;

The Periodic Table of Typefaces: Popular, Influential, and Notorious—groups typefaces by families and classes (25);

The Periodic Table of World Literature—categorizes 100 writers from around the globe chronologically by genre (26);

Wine Grape Varietal Table—displays wine grape varieties and how they relate to one another (27).

There have also been many playful treatments of the periodic table, such as the Periodic Table of the Elephants (28) and the Periodic Table of Rejected Elements (29). In this whimsical spirit, Figure 2 presents the Periodic Table of the Beans. The elements have been stripped of their names and replaced with beans that have taken on the character of the elemental letters.

Figure 2. The Periodic Table of the Beans—Elements with Character. (Image courtesy of Bean Room Productions. ZottaBean characters copyright 1998 by Mary Saecker.)
Articles and resources to help understand and celebrate the elements and the periodic table are available throughout this issue. Some additional resources are also listed after the Literature Cited section.

Literature Cited (all sites accessed Aug 2009)

1. Moore, J. W. Turning the (Periodic) Tables J. Chem. Educ. 2003, 80, 847.
2. Mazurs, Edward G. Graphic Representations of the Periodic System During One Hundred Years, 2nd ed.; University of Alabama Press: University, AL, 1974.
3. van Spronsen, J. W. The Periodic System of Chemical Elements: A History of the First Hundred Years; Elsevier: Amsterdam, 1969.
4. For example, Stewart, P. The Spiral Periodic System. Educ. in Chem. 2004, 41, 165; available at http://www.chemicalgalaxy.co.uk/.
5. For example, Quam, G. N.; Quam, M. B. J. Chem. Educ. 1934, 11, 27–32, 217–223, 288–297. For additional J. Chem. Educ. articles on this topic, see Jacobsen, E. K. JCE Resources for Chemistry and the Periodic Table. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1154–1161.
6. Database of Periodic Table Formulations. http://www.meta-synthesis.com/webbook/35_pt/pt_database.php and http://www.meta-synthesis.com/webbook/35_pt/pt.html .
7. Clauson, J. E. A Cut-out Chart of the Periodic System. J. Chem. Educ. 1954, 31, 550–552;
8. He, Fu-cheng; Li, Xiang-yuan. The Periodic Building of the Elements:
Can the Periodic Table Be Transformed into Stereo? J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 792–793.
9. For additional online resources see: Diener, L. News from Online: The Periodic Table of the Elements. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1163–1165.
10. Dynamic Periodic Table. http://www.ptable.com/.
11. It’s Elemental—The Periodic Table. Chem. Eng. News. 2003, 81 (36), cover story; available at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/80th/elements.html. You can support your favorite element on Facebook; see Groat, R. K.; Jacobsen, E. K. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1168–1169. Also in this issue is My Favorite Element. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1131–1141.
12. Periodic Spiral. http://periodicspiral.com/.
13. The Periodic Table Live! JCE Software, 3rd edition. http://www.chemeddl.org/collections/ptl/index.html. See additional information
in this issue about Periodic Table Live!’s development (Banks, A. J.; Jacobsen, E. K. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1144–1146) and use (Moore, J. W. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1147–1148; Slocum, L. E.; Moore, J. W. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1167).
14. A Visual Interpretation of the Periodic Table by The Royal Society of Chemistry (UK); http://www.rsc.org/chemsoc/visualelements/index.htm.
15. Levi, Primo. The Periodic Table; Schocken Books, Inc.: New York, 1984; translated by Raymond Rosenthal. As a teaching tool for chemistry see Osorio, V. K. L.; Tiedemann, P. W.; Porto, P. A. Primo Levi and The Periodic Table: Teaching Chemistry Using a Literary Text. J. Chem. Educ. 2007, 84, 775–778.
16. Sacks, Oliver. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 2001. James Marshall’s “Living Periodic Table” (described in J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 979–983 and 2000, 77, 1119) inspired Sacks to visit Marshall to see his collection (J. Chem. Educ. 2003, 80, 879).
17. The most recent installment in the series is Minichino, C. The Oxygen Murder; St. Martin’s Press: New York, 2006. Information about the entire series is available at http://www.minichino.com/in_print/in_print.html.
18. Djerassi, C.; Hoffmann, R. Oxygen; Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, 2001. Reviewed in J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 436.
19. Poetic Table of the Elements: A Periodic Table of Poetry. http://www.everypoet.com/absurdities/elements/.
20. Langley Spurlock. http://langleyspurlock.com/. See also Petkewich, R. Chem. Eng. News 2005, 83 (40), 60–61; Amato, I. Chem. Eng. News 2009, 87 (28), Web exclusive (http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/87/8728sci2.html).
21. Silva, A.; Barroso, M. F.; Freitas, O.; Teixeira, S.; Morais, S.; Delerue-Matos, C. The Periodic Table: Contest and Exhibition. J. Chem. Educ. 2006, 83, 557. See also http://www.winterhouse.com/vancouver/.
22. The Periodic Table Printmaking Project. http://azuregrackle.com/periodictable/table/.
23. Theodore Gray’s periodic table made up of photographs of the elements can be seen at http://periodictable.com/; his wooden periodic
“table” at http://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/index.html. See also Thomas, N. C. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1193–1194.
24. Beal, S. Needlepoint: Stephen Beal’s Color Memoirs. Fiberarts 2007, 34 (1), on the Web; available at http://www.fiberarts.com/back_issues/summer_07/needlepoint.asp.
25. The Periodic Table of Typefaces: Popular, Influential, and Notorious
by Camdon Wilde/Squidspot. http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Periodic-Table-of-Typefaces/193759.
26. Periodic Table of World Literature from Teacher’s Discovery. http://www.teachersdiscovery-english.com/english.asp.
27. DeLong’s Wine Grape Varietal Table. http://www.delongwine.com/wgvt.php.
28. Connors, M. B. The Periodic Table of the Elephants. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1149–1150.
29. Gerber, M; Schwarz, J. The Periodic Table of Rejected Elements. The Atlantic Monthly 1999, 284 (2), 43; available at http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99aug/9908elements.htm.

Some Additional Resources

Atkins, P. W. The Periodic Kingdom, a Journey into the Land of Chemical Elements; Basic Books: New York, NY, 1995.
Ball, Philip. The Elements: A Very Short Introduction; Oxford University Press: New York, 2004.
Ball, Philip. The Ingredients: A Guided Tour of the Elements; Oxford University Press: New York, 2003.
Dingle, Adrian; Basher, Simon The Basher Science: Periodic Table—Elements with Style; Kingfisher Publications: London, 2007.
Emsley, J. Nature’s Building Blocks: An A–Z Guide to the Elements; Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001.
Scerri, Eric R. The Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance. Oxford University Press, 2006.
Strathern, Paul. Mendeleyev’s Dream: The Quest for the Elements; Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press: New York, 2000.
Supporting JCE Online Material
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2009/Oct/abs1151.html

Supplements

Periodic Table Cylinder, Construction Directions and Patterns, adapted by Riley Houston from ref 7, available as PDFsPerTableTemplates
Periodic Table as a Building, Construction Directions and Patterns,PerTableTemplates
Variations 1 and 2, adapted by Riley Houston from ref 8, available as PDFsPerTableTemplates
Mary E. Saecker is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Chemical Education; msaecker@chem.wsic.edu.

Copyright 2009, Journal of Chemical Education, Division of Chemical Education, Inc. Used by permission.

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor

Ever experience the phenomenon that occurs once you’re interested in or working on a particular topic? Suddenly, all sorts of examples related to that topic pop up unexpectedly in your everyday life. The examples may have even been there all the time, but you didn’t really notice them. Deep in preparation for this National Chemistry Week (NCW) issue with the American Chemical Society’s “Chemistry—It’s Elemental!” theme, it happened to me. A surprising instance arrived as a newspaper insert. Our local discount grocery has a frequently rotating stock of inexpensive wine. Very occasionally they publish advertisements about the upcoming grocery specials, along with one or two wine selections. I glanced at the color photos on the front page and was drawn to a simple yet striking image on a bottle of wine (see photo): the letters “Au” in a black box outlined in gold. The ad copy stated “Au is the periodic table symbol for GOLD. Our wine buyers are proud to bring you this nugget, a collection of wines from some of the best growing regions in Australia.” I realized they also mean to connect the “Au” to the fact that the wine is produced in Australia, but I was surprised by their mention of the periodic table. Apparently, even wine can be elemental.

If you look at the Chemical Education Today section of the Journal of Chemical Education’s special October NCW issue, you’ll see it’s grown to epic proportions. The broad appeal and applicability of the periodic table theme became evident once others involved in the chemistry community heard about some of the article ideas. For example, see the series “My Favorite Element”. We invited several authors to submit articles on their favorite elements, beginning with M. Frederick Hawthorne, the 2009 Priestley Medal winner. The idea that many people have favorite elements was underscored when I read the beginning of a March 23, 2009 article in Chemical & Engineering News on Hawthorne. He stated “Boron is my element—not that I own boron, but it owns me” (1). When others heard of the project, many told us their own favorite element, and the series grew. Ober and Krebs even tell us about several invented elements from fantasy and science fiction literature and television shows. What’s your favorite element? The opportunity to share it in the pages of the October 2009 Journal issue are past, but you can still become part of the Division of Chemical Education’s “Elements on Facebook Project”. Rachel Groat and I describe the project and how you and your students can get involved. Each element has its own page on the Facebook social networking Web site. Any Facebook member can visit an element’s page and use the “become a fan” feature, as well as add new information about the element, including videos, images, text, etc. After NCW (October 18–24), JCE will report again on the five elements that have the most fans and the element that most dramatically increased its fan base. Wondering what the top five were when we wrote the article? Take a guess. Then visit Facebook and register your support for your own favorite.

A Farewell to the Moores
The October 2009 issue of JCE is the last for editor-in-chief John W. Moore and his wife, associate editor Elizabeth A. Moore. I think it is one of the best issues produced under their guidance and hope you will agree. I am privileged to have worked with the two of them.

Laura’s Take on the Issue
from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor

This issue is full of extraordinary ideas that apply to National Chemistry Week (NCW) and I am looking forward to trying some new ideas in my classroom this year. However, two articles in this issue, not related to NCW, really jumped out at me, especially since I am teaching my Introduction to Biochemistry class in the spring. Millard describes how she uses clips from the medically oriented TV programs ER and House in her biochemistry course. I have talked about these shows and others in class, but have never used the actual clips and will add these this spring. In A Quick and Accurate Oxygen-Based Pressure-Sensor Assay for Catalase Activity, Lewis et al. describe an experiment to follow the enzyme kinetics of catalase on hydrogen peroxide. I have been doing a rather complicated and expensive enzyme kinetics lab that leaves about half of my students frustrated and asking for a different lab—I think I may have found the answer to my students’ request in the Lewis, et al. article. My students have already used gas-sensor probes in a number of experiments in their first-year chemistry course, so they should find this experiment much simpler.

Literature Cited
1. Ritter, S. K. Chem. Eng. News 2009, 87 (12), 12–14 (accessed Aug 2009).

JCE High School Chemed Learning Information Center (CLIC)

This issue is all about the chemical elements—the building blocks from which come the more than 49 million inorganic and organic compounds registered by the Chemical Abstracts Service and the many benefits those substances bring to our society. I hope that you learn a lot more about the elements from this issue and the resources it refers to. I also hope that you will pass along what you learn to your students and colleagues.One of the features this month is a series of articles by chemists/teachers about their favorite elements and why those elements are so likeable. Every one of these articles contains tidbits that you can use to spice up your teaching and bring more of the human element to your students. Another article describes the Elements on Facebook project, which enables anyone to become a fan of one or more elements. A good assignment would be for students to choose a favorite element, do research on its properties, uses, and other characteristics, and then enter information into the element’s page in Facebook. A similar project that does not involve Facebook is also described.

With all the talk about favorite elements, I started thinking about my favorite elements, but with a slight twist. My favorite elements are those that have been the building blocks of success for this Journal during the 13 years of my editorship. In this my last editorial I want to thank those elements that have made your Journal what it is.

Let’s begin with cerium (Ce). Copy editing is essential to maintaining high quality in any journal. Bernadette Caldwell, Arrrietta Clauss, and Liana Lamont have many properties that have helped authors to improve their manuscripts beyond the many comments the reviewers have made. That is attested to in this letter to the editor. Like all but one of the elements whose symbols begin their names, they readily react to content that is unclear or poorly stated, providing authors with suggestions and clarifications. Even the unreactive Ar can enlighten when an electric discharge passes through it, and Arrietta is always highly charged, so these favorite elements are well suited to their responsibilities.

Next we have germanium (Ge). Graphics editing for the JCE has been handled for nearly all of my 13 years by Randy Wildman. Sometimes he seems to emanate radiation, so great is his enthusiasm for his job, but usually he provides a steady light, as does a tungsten filament. High quality graphics, both drawings and photographs, have been Randy’s responsibility and his passion—to our benefit.

Another favorite is meitnerium (Mt). Manuscript tracking is an essential service that Alice Teter has provided for all of my 13 years. Interacting with the authors and reviewers of more than 700 papers every year is a big task that requires both tact and toughness. Pure aluminum is soft, but when alloyed it is much stronger—even when alloyed with tellurium. Alice has displayed the qualities of pure and alloyed aluminum in just the right mix throughout her tenure with the JCE.

Those of you who have visited JCE booths at meetings or wanted JCE publicity materials shipped to you will be familiar with Linda Fanis. Like the elements whose symbols adorn her name, Linda reacts rapidly and completely to such requests. Linda’s activity level is very high and will be higher in the future now that she is business manager for the Journal. JCE issues are prepared for JCE Online by Ed Fedosky. It seems fitting that the technical aspects of Journal production would involve iron, an element that in one way or another has long been associated with information storage.

Another important element in our success is Erica Jacobsen. Currently she serves as the high school editor, as editor of the JCE Classroom Activity column, and in several other capacities. Like erbium, Erica never tarnishes. Every time the bar is raised she clears it handily. She is a joy to work with and she continually comes up with new, useful, interesting ideas. Not only that, she carries them out—on time and at the highest level of quality. Erbium is a super element.

Next are the most important elements of all. Sulfur, holmium, and molybdenum. Mary Saecker, Jon Holmes, and Elizabeth Moore have been associate editors for the JCE since 1996; before that Jon and Betty did essential work for JCE Software.

Mary supervises submissions from acceptance to publication. She supports serendipity by juxtaposing articles that are related, and performs myriad other tasks that take the Journal’s quality to the highest plane. Like sulfur she is bright, cheery, and creatively involved in a broad range of contributions to everyone’s well being.

Holmium is a rare earth that is always found in combination with other elements. Jon Holmes is a rare combination of technical expertise and ability to make technical information understandable to those who need to know. He has been instrumental in devising and implementing the many technical advances the JCE has made during the past 13 years. Many of these, such as JCE Online are visible, but others, such as our manuscript handling data base are not. All work to perfection.

More than 80% of molybdenum is used in alloys, and it also is contained in many catalysts. Betty Moore has alloyed herself with every aspect of JCE (and earlier JCE Software); she has also catalyzed much of the work all of us have done in bringing the Journal to where it stands today. That she has transformed the Chemical Education Today section in support of JCE and ACS outreach is obvious in every issue and especially in this one. This Journal would be a much duller place without her efforts.

These essential elements of the JCE deserve your strongest possible thanks. They certainly have mine.

Idea Bank: Presidential