The Demos

ISU CheMagic Demonstrations

There are two components to a chemical demonstration. The demonstration performance and the demonstrator's patter.¹ While complex chemical demonstrations are often very entertaining to watch, they do not automatically illustrate the principles or the spirit of chemistry. Since outreach is primarily about these latter two points, successful chemical demonstrations are really the product of patter, not demonstration sophistication or complexity. With this thought in mind, the link below points to pages featuring our favorite simple² demonstrations that simply need great patter to become truly great chemical demonstrations:

CheMagic Favorites: Fun Chemical Demonstration Music Vidoes

CheMagic Favorites: Narrated Chemical Demonstration Video Manual

1. Pát•ter: verb - to speak or sing words in a theatrical performance.
2. Sim•ple: adjective - easy to understand and use; not complicated: Hydrogen peroxide is simple -a tank of oxygen is not! The trunk of a car is simple - a grant supported van is not!