Please Provide Hoffman(Apparatus) For Chemistry Students To Observe Electrolysis
Help me give my students a Hoffman apparatus so that all my students (of AP, Honors, General Chemistry & Physics) can observe the electrolysis of water during lab experiments and demonstrations.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. V.'s classroom raised $269
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
Our urban public high school is as diverse racially, culturally, and economically as our large metropolitan city.
Our student population is by majority Hispanic (70%), followed by Asian, White, Black, Pacific Islander, and various other groups.
Almost all my students classify in our state's lowest economic category, which qualifies them for financial assistance such as reduced lunch and free tutoring programs. For nearly 50% of my students, the primary language that their family speaks at home is not English. Many of our students were classified as ESL students (English as a Second Language), when they began high school, but have now been reclassified as English Proficient. Due to funding cuts, science classes at our public high school have recently increased to average sizes of 44 students per class. We are not a private school, so in order to give these young students the best college prep environment, our science lab programs truly survive from donations and grants.
My Project
My students are always excited to see experiments involving electricity. It amazes as lights are powered from electricity produced from homemade "batteries" made from oranges, potatoes, or lemons, as well as from standard chemical classroom cells. But there is also another important electrical chemical procedure - electrolysis- that we are currently unable to perform in our classroom.
One of the most fascinating Chemistry experiments students can observe is the electrolysis of water.
During electrolysis, instead of electricity being produced from a chemical reaction, electricity causes a chemical reaction that would not naturally be able to occur spontaneously. A Hoffman apparatus allows students to safely experiment with the electrolysis of water. We had access to an old one 5 years ago, but since it stopped working it has been too expensive to replace. I just discovered this economical priced device, hopefully this project can be funded.
Once water is added to the Hoffman apparatus and it is turned on, electricity begins to separate water (H2O) into oxygen gas (O2) and hydrogen gas (H2). Oxygen gas bubbles up through the water through one connected tube and hydrogen gas bubbles up through a second tube. If a match is lit above the hydrogen gas tube, a "pop" sound will be heard as some hydrogen gas explodes ! One day in the future, we expect that scientists will finally learn how to power cars, boats, airplanes, with water, as they learn to control this chemical combustion of hydrogen. Similarly, if a match is blown out and quickly thrust above the oxygen gas tube, that hot match will suddenly reignite in the pure oxygen !
This instrument will help General, AP, and Honors students to develop critical college prep science skills. Having a live experience is much more meaningful. Any donation will be appreciated.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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