Secondary School Feature Articles

* Building the Interest of High School Students for Science-A PACT Ambassador Program To Investigate Soap Manufacturing and Industrial Chemistry, by Matthew Lynch, Nicholas Geary, Karen Hagaman, Ann Munson, and Mark Sabo, p 191.

* Promoting Chemistry at the Elementary Level, by Larry L. Louters and Richard D. Huisman, p 196.

* Is It Real Gold? by Harold H. Harris, p 198.

* The "Big Dog-Puppy Dog" Analogy for Resonance, by Todd P. Silverstein, p 206.

* The Fizz Keeper, a Case Study in Chemical Education, Equilibrium, and Kinetics, by Reed A. Howald, p 208.

Staying on Top: Curricular Projects,
Relativistic Effects, and Standard-State Pressure

You may wonder why some articles are identified with the Secondary School Chemistry logo (*) this month even though at first glance they appear to be of greater interest to college faculty.¹ The three articles discussed below are representative of three broad categories: (i) the interrelatedness of science teaching and learning, K-16+; (ii) new understandings of chemical phenomena; and (iii) information about the use of SI units. For each article I have highlighted the major point(s) and the reasons it may be of interest to high school teachers.

First, the article "The NSF 'Systemic' Projects- A New Tradition" (G. M. Barrow, p 158) is a commentary on changes in post-secondary introductory chemistry courses in which a distinction is drawn between information management and individual understanding. The author is of the opinion that most students expect the former and that the NSF-funded systemic projects "will thrive only if they are consistent with their information-management mission". Three individuals provided responses to the commentary from their perspective.

Has a student asked you why mercury is a liquid, or why gold is the most electronegative metal? "Gold Chemistry: The Aurophilic Attraction" by J. Bardají and A. Laguna (p 201) and "Why Gold and Copper Are Colored but Silver Is Not" by A. H. Guerreor, H. J. Fasoli, and J. L. Costa (p 200) provide useful information in answering these questions.

Have you thought about the effect of changing the standard-state pressure from 1 atm to the SI unit of 1 bar? The question is addressed in "How Thermodynamic Data and Equilibrium Constants Changed When the Standard-State Pressure Became 1 Bar" by R. S. Treptow (p 212). The author points out that although textbook authors have not yet abandoned use of 1 atm as standard-state pressure, thermodynamic data are reported in the research literature on the basis of 1 bar standard-state pressure. The author provides the information needed to readily convert thermodynamic data from one standard to the other.

These articles represent just a few that may be of interest to you. I encourage you to explore other articles within the Journal that are not noted with the secondary school section logo. As we each continue to broaden our knowledge of chemistry and chemical education, JCE will continue to serve as an invaluable resource in our educational quest.

Anaheim and Boston in March; Fairfield in August

JCE will have a booth in the exhibition hall both at the ACS National Meeting in Anaheim, March 21-24, and at the NSTA National Convention in Boston, March 25-29. Additionally, the all-day High School Program on Monday, March 22, will be held as part of the ACS meeting. More details will be provided in the March issue of JCE. Make your plans to attend now. Registration information may be found at http://www.acs.org/meetings/anaheim/welcome.htm and
http://www.nsta.org/conv/natgen.htm.

Another outstanding event, ChemEd '99, will held on the campus of Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, August 1-5, 1999. Information, including a call for presentation proposals, is available at http://www.sacredheart.edu/chemed/. The deadline for abstracts is March 1, 1999, so don't delay.

Chemistry for Kids-Looking for New Ideas

Over the life of the Chemistry for Kids (CFK) feature a relatively large number of articles have been published that describe outreach by college or high school faculty and students. The majority of these have dwelt on the details of delivery-be it demonstrations or hands-on activities. An article in this issue, "Promoting Chemistry at the Elementary Level: A Low-Maintenance Program of Chemical Demonstration" by Larry L. Louters and Richard D. Huisman (p 196), details an on-campus program that could be a model for others to use. We believe that almost every combination of interaction has been described in CFK articles. What we would like now are more CFK articles with an emphasis on science instruction in the elementary classroom. Learner-centered activities and teaching strategies that integrate chemistry into the curriculum, successful curricula, and applications of software or other technological innovations are among topics that could be of interest to readers.

If you have an idea for a manuscript, the co-editors of the CFK feature would be happy to discuss it with you. Any suggestions regarding types of articles that you think would be helpful within this section are welcomed too. To contact the CFK feature editors:

John T. Moore, Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Chemistry, Box 13006 SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962; 409/468-2384; jmoore@sfasu.edu; David Tolar, Ennis Intermediate School, Ennis, TX 75120; 903/872-5364; TolarD@ennis.ednet10.net.

Note

1. Comments from readers regarding the appropriateness of the recommendations are always welcome (j.e.howell@usm.edu).