My college wants the students to do at-home chemistry experiments

[Anonymous No.11475558]

So I'm working as a sort of chem lab assistant at a uni in the US, which has since been closed over COVID19 concerns.

I am no longer allowed into the labs, and so they're trying to create virtual work for us. Namely, we are supposed to design "at home" experiments the students can do to finish the semester, in line with the curriculum. This is for Gen Chem I and II. What do you guys think of this, given the circumstances? Is it acceptable for a university or should we be going about it differently

[Anonymous No.11475834]

>>11475558
Make thermite, sell it. A+

[Anonymous No.11475838]

>>11475558
Bleach and ammonia

[Anonymous No.11475850]

What will the piss jug react with?

[Anonymous No.11475936]

>>11475558
The labs you do in Gen Chem are a complete waste of time anyway. You follow a instruction manual given to you by the lab notebook line for line. It's a chore not an experiment. The students will probably learn much more at home

[Anonymous No.11476160]

>>11475558
honestly this is the perfect example of why "virtual classes" do not work for science.

simply put, it is impossible to do chemistry labs remotely.

i'm not even a chemistry person, but i did take it in undergrad, and the lessons i learned from that course were "you need to be able to work with your hands precisely enough such that you can do chemistry"

the same thing goes for physics and bio and even engineering stuff. you simply need hands-on training on how to work with your hands. just like technicians and tradesmen people. hands-on learning CANNOT be replaced by virtual crap. fact.

all these students should be required to do these lab courses later. no freebie crap

[Anonymous No.11476165]

pic related as a half-serious reply; however I fully agree with >>11476160

[Anonymous No.11476167]

>>11475558
teach them how to make crystals

[Anonymous No.11476311]

>>11475558
Give them the lab protocol and some fake data. Then they write the report as normal.
If you really want to be a dick, randomize the data to fit the grading curve.

[Anonymous No.11476425]

>>11476165
>don't do it

isn't that the worst thing you could put there to discourage people from doing it

[Anonymous No.11476440]

>>11476160
what do you think is better out of the 2? At home kitchen sink labs, or the virtual phet style ones?

[Anonymous No.11477314]

>>11475558

Have them make medicine from household chemicals, such as the fermentation of sugar to alcohol, subsequentially to ethanoic acid, then have them distill it off. Have them make ethanoic anhydride from it.
Now have them extract salicyclic acid for production of phenol (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0e0BDEE4Ic)), which can further be made into 4-aminophenol by nitration and reduction by iron. This we can now use to make paracetamol with the aforementioned ethanoic anhydride (https://www.chem.leeds.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/yr12_practicals/Year_12_Organic_2016_Final_version.pdf).).

Of course they have to build all their laboratory equipment from scratch. This should keep them busy until they have their PhD's.

[Anonymous No.11477375]

>>11475558
It's great. The last and greatest lesson they learn is accomplishing their objective despite their lack of equipment, reagents and funding.
This'll probably be the first and only year you'll have a chance of injecting true competency into students with some basic Gen Chem shit.

[Anonymous No.11477438]

>>11475558
You could extract lysozyme from your spit and try to crystallize it with salt and very mild detergent.

[Anonymous No.11477466]

>>11476167
don't do this. it makes mustard gas

[Anonymous No.11477487]

>>11475558
From what I remember of my university days chemistry students complain that there practical were boring shit like tiration. I'm sure they can do something similarly boring at home.

[Anonymous No.11477492]

>>11476165
Liquid soap and rubbing alcohol makes better soap.

[Anonymous No.11477515]

Who the hell is using weak peroxide solution for enemas? It sounds very painful.

[Anonymous No.11477530]

>>11476167
>2009
how time flies

[Anonymous No.11477702]

>>11475558
My lab is just having us watch a video of the TA do the experiment and copy his findings and such

[Anonymous No.11478655]

>>11476165
ammonia + cooking oil = chlorine gas?

[Anonymous No.11478676]

>>11475558
Just run simulations bro

[Anonymous No.11478681]

>>11477702
Better than the main instructor for my course, he hasn't even spoken to me since uni closed down and he hasn't offered to let me film experiments, so I sit at work and refresh the JH map all day while I cry and wait for death.

[Anonymous No.11478837]

>>11475558

[Anonymous No.11478870]

>>11478837
Wtf happened

[Anonymous No.11478909]

>>11478870
Hot metal being quenched rapidly = cracking, exploding metal, or burn. None of which you want.

[Anonymous No.11478933]

>>11475558
In analytical chemistry we had a prac exam which was literally just using KCl and NaCl for titrations.
There's quite a few experiments which can be done using non-hazardous chemicals but the biggest issue would be getting suitable glassware to the students. If you organised 'prac kits' to be sent out with the required reagents and glassware it could be possible. Organising the couriers could be a pain though.

[Anonymous No.11479104]

>>11476425
>>don't do it
>isn't that the worst thing you could put there to discourage people from doing it?
No, people who might "do it" are generally after explosions and flames. The implication from this chart is that it probably just makes noxious fumes, not very exciting.

[Anonymous No.11480353]

>>11476165
>washing up liquid
uhh...?

[Anonymous No.11480378]

>>11477702
I can't do this because we aren't allowed on campus anymore

[Anonymous No.11480653]

>>11476165
>Ammonia + water = dilute ammonia