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October 23, 2026
Happy National Chemistry Week! This year’s theme, Chemistry Under Construction,…
Happy National Chemistry Week! This year’s theme, Chemistry Under Construction, offers a chance to look at how chemistry is shaping the materials, technologies, and infrastructure we rely on every day. The chemistry behind battery makers, chipmakers, and corrosion-resistant bridges connects directly to topics in general chemistry. - Redox reactions explain how batteries store and release…
October 20, 2026
Have you heard of the ozone hole? Mario Molina discovered…
Have you heard of the ozone hole? Mario Molina discovered the chemistry that caused it, and he is one of five chemists we are celebrating as we honor Hispanic Heritage Month at REAL CHEM. The discoveries below range from the ozone layer to the insulin in a pharmacy today: • Mario Molina traced stratospheric ozone…
October 20, 2026
Which is your favorite, hot tea or iced tea? 🍵🧊…
Which is your favorite, hot tea or iced tea? 🍵🧊 Temperature and pH help explain why the same tea can feel so different. In this lesson, Clarice Phelps, nuclear chemist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, explores the chemistry behind temperature, pH, acids, bases, and proton transfer, and how these concepts connect to the world around…
October 20, 2026
Back-to-school season is the perfect time to think about the…
Back-to-school season is the perfect time to think about the small things that can make a general chemistry course run a little more smoothly. Maybe that’s a new way to introduce a difficult concept. A different kind of practice before an exam. A quick look at where students are getting stuck. Or a resource that…
October 20, 2026
In a good general chemistry class, strong problem solving asks…
In a good general chemistry class, strong problem solving asks students to do more than identify an equation and plug in numbers. They need to understand the situation, recognize the chemistry involved, plan a path forward, and evaluate whether their answer makes sense. A simple, repeatable process can help students build those habits: Read &…
October 20, 2026
Fall is a great time to turn everyday observations into…
Fall is a great time to turn everyday observations into chemistry questions 🍎🥧 Take a cut apple. Leave it on the counter for a few minutes, and the surface starts to turn brown. Why? Cutting the apple exposes compounds inside its cells to oxygen. Enzymes help drive reactions that produce brown-colored compounds, a process called…
October 20, 2026
Did you know some molecules have a left hand and…
Did you know some molecules have a left hand and a right hand? The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognizes Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai for discoveries involving asymmetric synthesis, autocatalysis, and molecular handedness. At a general chemistry level, their work shows how molecular structure affects chemical behavior. Two molecules can contain the same…
September 3, 2026
Practice works best when it arrives early enough to change…
Practice works best when it arrives early enough to change how a student understands the concept. It's science (learning science 😉🧪), and the evidence here is substantial. Across 225 STEM studies, average failure rates ran near 34% under traditional lecturing and near 22% in courses built on active learning. Every design decision in REAL CHEM…
August 6, 2026
A new study found microplastics in stored blood. But how…
A new study found microplastics in stored blood. But how do you prove a particle is plastic? The study, published in Environment & Health, tracked particles shedding from the bags themselves. Concentrations climbed across 30 days of storage, reaching 7 to 20 times the level in a freshly opened bag. Two pieces of general chemistry:…
July 28, 2026
Symposium S203 wrapped this afternoon at the Pyle Center! Across…
Symposium S203 wrapped this afternoon at the Pyle Center! Across three sessions, our team and collaborators went through what classroom data shows about how students learn chemistry: 1. The paths students take through interactive courseware 2. What learning curves reveal over a full term 3. How to turn a hunch about your own course into…
by Jesus Medina
Ever wonder what keeps your jacket warm, your car running,…
by Jesus Medina
You won’t find the term “weed-out course” in any official…
