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| Flame Spectroscopy |
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| Figure 1. Students burning salts in a Bunsen burner flame to measure spectral line diffraction. |
Working in the dark
There are many types of spectroscopy. In fact, spectroscopy may be the most common chemical analysis tool in professional
chemistry labs. This flame spectroscopy apparatus is crude by industry standards, but it's parts are not closed up in
a box that students cannot see. Everything is on the lab table so that students can how it works. To make it work
though, the lights have to to turned out, the windows have to be covered with black paper, and students work with flashlights
and the dim light offered by the Bunsen burners.
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| Arkwright City Dump |
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| Figure 3. The Arkwright dump near Dorman High was closed years ago, but it's causing problems today |
Throwing things away doesn't mean that its' gone.
The old Spartanburg city garbage dump at Arkwright is just a few miles from Dorman High. The US Environmental Protection
Agency is working to clear up problems that still remain at the site.
One of the most important ways that chemistry makes our lives better is through environmental protection. The way
that chemicals in old garbage dumps get's into our water supply is complex and sometimes solving the problem is complex as
well. Environmental chemists have found some pretty amazing ways to solve some of these problems.
Students in Mr. Tedder's classes will have the opportunity to learn about these environmental dangers and the chemistry
careers that help to fix them.
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| Wet Lab |
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| Figure 2. Students working with liquids. |
Wet labs don't mean you have to get wet or messy.
When people think of chemistry they often think of mixing solutions of liquids. In the real world, a lot of chemistry
is still done this way and so students in Mr. Tedder's classes get a chance to learn these skills and the concepts that relate
to it.
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| Chemical Plant in Arkwright |
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| Figure 4. This chemical plant makes important materials, but neighbors worry about their health. |
The Good, the Bad, and the Problems.
Man-made chemicals make our lives better. The plant in Arkwright makes materials that protect lives. But
all chemical processes have wastes and the neighbors of this plant worry that the wastes could cause health problems.
Many neighbors feel that a chemical plant should never have been allowed to build in a residential area and that it was allowed
only because the neighborhood is made up mostly of minority families with low to moderate incomes. Knowing some
basic chemistry can be valuable to politicians, attorneys, and anyone. You never know how valuable it can be until
you are faced with a problem like this one.
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