I am curious what are the 1 or 2 best, must-do demos that you do when you teach inorganic chemistry? My students love demos, but they do take a lot of effort to plan for ahead of time, set up, and then clean up and dispose of afterwards. The "culture of the last minute" is my typical M.O., so I tend to only do the tried and true demos that work and are both impressive and educational.
Here are my 3 that I always do in my sophomore level inorganic course:
1. Liquid oxygen
We have a completely open and shared upper level laboratory. We teach 2 courses per semester in the laboratory, sometimes, but not usually, with 2 classes in there at once (organic, 2 semesters, analytical in the fall and inorganic in the spring). The students spread throughout the lab, with mostly shared glassware, chemicals, etc. Needless to say, it can get ugly in there.
I am teaching a one-semester inorganic course for Juniors and Seniors. This is the only inorganic course we have, except for an occasional advanced offering in organometallic chemistry.
Does anyone have any experience with the atomic emission kit that is available from Flynn Scientific? The set-up is a metal can that fits over a Bunsen burner. H2 gas is generated from Zn and HCl, which supposedly carries metal ions (Li+, Na+, etc.) up through the can and into the flame for easy viewing of the atomic emission spectra.
What are strategies you have/use to deal with/help students who all of a sudden (or slowly, gradually, all afternoon) find themselves with 30 minutes left in a lab period, with 2 hours of work left to do. How do you head this off, especially in a large lab section? How do you deal with it once its too late?
The Atomic Trampoline Kit available from ICE: Guaranteed wow factor!
Memory Metal: I have a stash of 2" long wires so that I can give one to each student.