William Floyd High School Chemistry Students Celebrate Mole Day

LongIsland.com

William Floyd High School students enrolled in Terri Randall’s, Martin Palermo’s and Kristen Drury’s Regents chemistry classes celebrated Mole Day on October 23, which is a day observed in schools nationwide from 6:02 am to ...

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Mastic Beach, NY - November 5th, 2014 - William Floyd High School students enrolled in Terri Randall’s, Martin Palermo’s and Kristen Drury’s Regents chemistry classes celebrated Mole Day on October 23, which is a day observed in schools nationwide from 6:02 am to 6:02 pm to commemorate (Amedeo) Avogadro’s Number 6.02 x1023. Avogadro’s Number is a basic measuring unit in chemistry that represents the amounts of a chemical substance. Mole Day is part of National Chemistry Week which was held this year between October 19-25.

“Chemistry is everywhere, so as a department we look for opportunities to engage our students in relevant and authentic science experiences,” said Ms. Randall. “National Chemistry Week and Mole Day create additional opportunities for us to share our passion for science and support our collective desire for students to enjoy the process of learning.”

To commemorate Mole Day in Ms. Randall's and Mr. Palermo's classrooms, students participated in a hands-on inquiry experiment to determine the amount of carbon dioxide in Pop Rocks candy using the molar volume of a gas and solubility of a gas in water. Students dissolved the Pop Rocks in water and determined the amount of carbon dioxide that was trapped inside. At the end of the experiment, students used their calculations to dispel the myth that eating Pop Rocks while drinking a carbonated beverage could cause a person’s stomach to explode.

Students also created “Happy Mole Day” cards in Ms. Randall's classroom and presented them to William Floyd High School faculty and staff to help educate them about the chemistry Mole. Ms. Drury shared a Mole Day presentation and students created baked goods based on the Mole Day theme.

Pictured Right: Ms. Terri Randall (right) with students Skylar Gibbs, Melisa Bademci and James Hintze showcasing their “Mole Day” cards.

Pictured Below: Students in Ms. Terri Randall’s class work on a “Mole Day” experiment with Pop Rocks candy. Pictured are clockwise from back left: David Cornwell, Cameryn Graziano, Melisa Bademci and Anthony Lipp. 

 

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