Chemistry Adventures!

We all know I struggle somethin fierce when it comes to keeping my chemistry grade up. I don’t really understand about 75% of the material, and I am awful at testing. But I’m not going to lie to you and say that I absolutely hate Chemistry, because I don’t. I might have a severe, passionate dislike for the actual science, but as for the class… well we have some good times in there. I don’t know if it’s the combination of certain people we have in there, or if it’s my teachers personality (easygoing, but not a pushover), but something about that class makes the atmosphere fun, if not the work. We have fun conversations and good times on our everlasting journey to draw the perfect star. (We can all thank John for that one.) I’m now going to share with you some of my favorite 5th Period Chemistry moments. I know a lot of them are “You had to be there” moments, but just go with it for now.

The class is learning about how, when writing down chemical compounds, the cations go before the anions. There is a slide on the projector screen that explains this, and the class is reading it silently.

Holland: Mrs. Titus, what does “per-say-dees” mean?
Mrs. Titus: What?
Holland: Right there on the third line, right before the words “the anion”, it says “per-say-dees.”
*awkward silence*
Mrs. Titus: Holland, I believe that says “precedes.”

The class is suggesting to Mrs. Titus that we conduct an experiment involving pure sodium and water. (Extremely reactive… if you didn’t know.) Obviously, she’s not having any of it.

Cody: Come on, we’d have an awesome explosion. We could even name it.
Mrs. Titus: Ha yeah, we could name it Big Bertha.
Chase: Hey, John’s grandma is named Bertha.
John: What the… Chase, my grandmother’s name is Barbara.

The class is discussing Mrs. Titus’s 9-year-old son who is destined to become a genius, seeing as how his father is a paleontologist and his mother and his father’s parents are all chemists.

John: Mrs. Titus, you just need him to get into some sports. Get him into football.
Mrs. Titus: Yeah we tried that, but he’s got asthma, so he’s not so sure he likes it.
Chase: Well John has asthma, but he plays football and basketball!
Mrs. Titus [to John]: Really? You do? Maybe--
John: No. I don’t have asthma. Chase apparently likes to make up stories about me for some reason.

The class is learning about converting elements in grams to moles (or something like that) with an example from the book about tricycles. I.E., the composition of a trike would be FSP2HW3 (Frame, Seat, 2 pedals, Handles, and 3 Wheels). The question is “How many wheels would be needed to make 219 tricycles?”

Mrs. Titus: So you’ve got your pedals, and you times them by three pedals over one tricycle, and then divide and cross cancel blah blah blah etcetera etcetera. (Obviously, I didn’t really follow this part.)
Me and Cody: Well… why don’t we just multiply three wheels by 219 tricycles? Wouldn’t that be much simpler than a big long equation?
Mrs. Titus: Well you guys, this is pretty straightforward.
Class: Baffled silence, and then... laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh Good one, Mrs. Titus. Good one.

The class is in the lab. We are working with copper chloride, which is extremely dangerous to have in contact with your skin.

Mrs. Titus: Hey you guys, make sure you do not get any of this copper chloride on your hands okay? If you do, make sure you run straight to the rinser in the corner.
John (who had been slightly distracted): Wait, what aren't we supposed to get on our hands?
Mrs. Titus: Yeah, don’t get it on your hands.
Entire class: ………………….?

We have fun in Chemistry.