Kitchen Science for Kids

Having some fun teaching my daughter some scientific principles in the kitchen, we discussed solutions and solutes, viscosity, and density. We put together a list of materials and she made guesses as to which would be soluble in other materials. Only one gave her pause, whether sugar would dissolve into lemon juice, yet she was proven correct once she completed the experiment. Not bad for a seven year old. 

Got Mole?

Happy Mole Day!

Celebrated annually on October 23 from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m., Mole Day commemorates Avogadro's Number (6.02 x 10^23), which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. Mole Day was created as a way to foster interest in chemistry. Schools throughout the United States and around the world celebrate Mole Day with various activities related to chemistry and/or moles.


For a given molecule, one mole is a mass (in grams) whose number is equal to the atomic mass of the molecule. For example, the water molecule has an atomic mass of 18, therefore one mole of water weighs 18 grams. An atom of neon has an atomic mass of 20, therefore one mole of neon weighs 20 grams. In general, one mole of any substance contains Avogadro's Number of molecules or atoms of that substance. This relationship was first discovered by Amadeo Avogadro (1776-1858) and he received credit for this after his death.

Make sure to have some yummy guacamole to celebrate too!