A quick search for “Diet Coke and Mentos” on YouTube returns hundreds of videos. See for yourself why this experiment is so popular and listen as Lauren explains what is really happening. Connect with curiosity!
Chromatography: A Popular Laboratory Technique
Even if you’ve never heard of chromatography, you have probably seen it in action. Chromatography is a process of separating a mixture of chemicals into various parts. It can be used in forensics and for testing food, beverages, and prescription drugs. In this at-home experiment, we use water, markers, and paper towel strips to better… Continue reading
Elephant Toothpaste: A Classic Science Experiment
Have you ever seen Elephant Toothpaste? In this at-home chemistry demonstration, we return to a classic. Watch as Lauren uses household items to create a substance that foams, bubbles, and changes temperature. Connect with curiosity!
Collections – Wall mounted gas lamp, 19th century
The flammability of coal gas was discovered by accident in the 1730s, yet gas was not applied as a practical lighting method for widespread use until the 1790s. Even then, most people distrusted gas fixtures inside the home and did not universally incorporate them until the 1880s. Gas lamps of the Victorian era, like this… Continue reading
Saint Louis Science Center Collections A to Z
The Science Center’s Collections Department cares for and preserves a wide variety of artifacts, some of which may surprise you! From animals to fossils, ancient pottery to meteorites, space toys to medical tools, here you can discover a selection of wonderful things from A-Z. Connect with curiosity!
Vacuum Seal – Youth Exploring Science (YES) Community Science
Have you ever heard a jar “pop” when you first take off its lid? If you have, then you’re familiar with a vacuum seal. Watch as Aric shows how a vacuum seal can form when you heat the contents of a pot, cover it with a lid, and let it cool. Connect with curiosity!
Rain Clouds and Lava Lamps
Here we have Science Center members Lauren and Natalie Lynch making a rain cloud and a homemade lava lamp. Share how you science at home! Our members have been busy at home working on science experiments and expanding their curiosity. If you want to share your own moments, submit your videos and photos to memberships@slsc.org.… Continue reading
CO2 Fire Extinguisher
Did you know that fire doesn’t like carbon dioxide? In this at-home science video, watch how Kelsey makes carbon dioxide with common kitchen materials, and how you can use that creation to put out a small flame. Connect with curiosity!
Who doesn’t like fire?!
Flames are the visible part of a gaseous fire, and their color depends on the fuel being burned. In this demonstration, we mix a variety of metal salts with denatured alcohol to get some amazing results! When heated through exothermic reactions, the atoms of these metal salts move to an excited, unstable state. As they… Continue reading
Liquid Nitrogen Cloud
Brrr! Liquid Nitrogen Boils at -320.4 degrees Fahrenheit. As you will see in the video, the water vapor in the air surrounding the boiling Liquid Nitrogen condenses and then freezes into ice crystals that scatter and reflect light—a mini cloud!