Web Links

UC Berkeley Transfer-to-Excellence Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (TTE REU) in bioengineering, robotics, and nanotechnology for community college students

CSUMB Community College Apprentice Research Experience(CCARE)

US Department of Energy (DOE) Scholars Program

UC Irvine INSPIRE Program (2 week program) for engineering and computer science students

Northern Illinois University NSF-REU Chemistry and Biochemistry Summer Research Program

Prep Médico Program at the UC Davis School of Medicine

University of North Texas Summer 2018 NSF-REU Program in Chemistry

Health Career Connection Summer Internship Program

UC Berkeley ASSURE Program at the Space Sciences Lab

US Department of Homeland Security 2017 HS-STEM Internships

Periodic Tables

2019 International Year of the Periodic Table!

“The Histories Hidden in the Periodic Table” (The New Yorker, 12/27/19)

The Elements from Bloomberg Business

Periodic Videos

LANL Periodic Table of Elements

Web Elements Periodic Table

The Wooden Periodic Table

Visual Elements Periodic Table

Dynamic Periodic Table

Photographic Periodic Table

Periodic Table simulation

Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids of the Periodic Table (Thanks to Trevor! Keep exploring and researching and hope you earn your merit badge!)

Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids: A Guide to the Periodic Table (Thanks to Ms. Lynwood’s 8th Grade Science Class! – keep up the excellent work!)

Facts About Aluminum (Thanks to Amelia (hope you’re at teacher!) and Susan!)

Gold, Silver, and Other Precious Metals (Thanks Eliza from the Lyndhurst STEM Club for Girls! Keep exploring!)

Periodic Table Song

Periodic Table of Comic Books

Periodic Table of Visualization Methods

Periodic Table of Essential Elements

Periodic Table of ASCII Characters

Alternative Periodic Tables

Periodic Safety from Flinn Scientific

Among the many trends within the periodic table of the elements, several of them can be related to safety.

The first and easiest to demonstrate is the increasing reactivity of alkali metals as you move down the group. Lithium, sodium, and potassium all react violently with water, however, when you demonstrate this reaction, one after the other, it’s easy to see that potassium’s reaction is much more vigorous than lithium’s. The same trend can also be demonstrated with the alkaline earth metals.

The elements on the periodic table are ordered such that each has more protons than the one preceding it. This means that by the time we get to the bottom of the periodic table the elements have large unstable nuclei and readily undergo radioactive decay. Many of the heaviest elements have no known stable forms. These can easily be identified because their atomic mass is in parentheses. This value represents the longest-lived isotope.

There are many other trends that can be linked to safety, for example the dangers of hydrofluoric acid (HF) can be related to its electronegativity and radius. The instability of the fluoride ion results in HF being a weak acid which only partially dissociates in water. Undissociated HF can easily penetrate into body tissues and interact with calcium and magnesium ions. The result is HF poisoning.

Identifying more of these safety-related trends can be a fun class activity. It is also a great way to get students looking at the periodic table and thinking about all the helpful information the table contains.

Learning about the periodic table and understanding the importance of following safe laboratory procedures are both important aspects of a science education. When both are combined—the periodic table and safety—students gain a deeper appreciation of the connections that enhance their laboratory experiences.

Sincerely,

Alan Downward

Senior Chemist

Science/Chemistry Reference Data

NIST Web Book

Chemistry Dashboard (EPA) – properties and toxicology info on over 760,000 chemicals

Thermodynamic Data and Property Tables Specific Heat Table

Safety Data Sheets

SpectraBase – free IR, NMR, UV-VIS, MS data (sign up required)

Science/Chemistry Information and Tutorials

Khan Academy – see the chemistry videos

UC Irvine Open Chemistry Undergraduate Lectures

MEL Science – Chemistry experiments and kits

AUS-e-TUTE interactive learning resource and tutorial

Science is Fun – Science videos, Chemical of the Week, and more

Compound Interest – chemistry of all sorts of things

Millions from Slime!

UNC Chemistry Fundamentals

General Chemistry for Students (see virtual texts)

Chemistry with Melissa Maribel YouTube videos

Chemguide

What is Chemistry? virtual textbook

General Chemistry Online Virtual Chemistry Experiments

WWW Virtual Library – Chemistry section

Chemistry, Wikipedia

OpenLearn – free learning from the Open University

Open Learning Initiative from Carnegie Mellon University

How Stuff Works What’s That Stuff?

Exploring STEM Education: A Resource Guide – Thanks Stella, Nessa, and Kason! Keep Exploring!

A Resource Guide for Science Nerds – Thanks Avery for sharing your passion for science!

Free STEM Activities and Resources for Kids – Thanks again Avery!

Fun Science Experiments Using Balloons – Thanks once again Avery!

Teaching Math and Computer Science to Kids with Special Needs – Thanks Alexandra!

Britney Spears Guide to Semiconductor Physics (for you Britney fans!)

Air and Water Chemistry for Kids – Thanks Kara!

Bottle Rockets and Other Educational Crafts – Thanks Liam!

Amazing Rocketry Facts, Quotes, and Activities

Science Experiments In Your Basement (from Basement Guides) – Thanks STEMfans.org!

Handyman 101: Tinkering and Electrical Projects – Thanks Denise from Lyndhurst STEM!

Engineering Games and Projects – Thanks Hannah! Get your “Think Like an Engineer” badge!

Science Experiments Around the Home – Thanks Tony (all the way from the UK)!

The Microbiology Information Portal – A microbiology information portal containing a vast collection of resources including articles, news, frequently asked questions, and links pertaining to the field of microbiology.