The Chemistry of snow

As a boy growing up in Connecticut, I couldn't get enough snow. Anything less than a foot was just snow flurries to me. I loved to play in it. I loved to watch it fall. I loved to sled in it. I didn't like to shovel it. I hated it when those big, wet flakes would turn to rain and wash away my dreams of a blizzard.

Now, here's the odd thing: I'm an adult now, of course, but I still love a good snowstorm, with all of the inconveniences it brings. And I still like sitting at our kitchen window, watching the flakes cover our deck and the grass in our backyard. I still don't like shoveling.

The next best thing to a real snowstorm is a snow globe. I've always wondered how they get those flakes to fall so gently inside the glass. Now I know, thanks to a brand new, sparkling, high-definition video on snow globes and other holiday gifts just released by our talented videophiles in the ACS Office of Public Affairs.

The program, part of the ACS Chemistry of Holidays video series, showcases an actual general chemistry, or chemistry for nonscience majors, laboratory session at the Catholic University of America devoted to the chemistry of the December/January holidays. It is part of the ACS Bytesize Science (www.BytesizeScience.com) video podcasts.

The video features Diane Bunce, Ph.D., and her students, who perform experiments with a holiday theme.  Bunce, professor of chemistry at CUA, is a recipient of the ACS Helen Free Award for Public Outreach and associate editor for Chemical Education research for ACS' Journal of Chemical Education.  The video shows students using the principles of chemistry to make:

·         A colorful, bouncing super ball made with polymers.

·         A snow globe-like stick, consisting of a test tube filled with water, glitter and something else. You'll need to watch the video to find out the secret ingredient.

·         A marblized gift card made with shaving cream, paper and various food colorings.

A teachers' guide with detailed instructions for each experiment is available in PDF format.

Image courtesy of Desislava Dimitrova, Dreamstime.com