Chemistry from the first class: what is able to surprise the Mendeleev Technopark

“Kindle” a child with chemistry - do you think it's unrealistic? In the new Mendeleev Center technology park, this process, causing a rapturous reaction, is launched even by 7-year-old “students”. First graders at the moment will be fascinated by the truly magical production of colored glass, and activities for teenagers will make modern holograms more effective.

Copper artist

“You can only love chemistry through experiments,” says Alexander Mazhuga, Rector of the Russian Chemical Technical University (technopark opened at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology). “And we tried to create conditions for children of different ages. In general, our target audience is teenagers. But we’ll also find seven-year-olds interesting activities. "

Favorite children's occupation is drawing. But it’s much more interesting to work when you have glass instead of a palette and test tubes with real chemicals instead of gouache. For example, nickel chloride paints the material green. And here are the blue crystals of copper sulfate. The CuSO4, which we saw at school only in the form of formulas on the pages of Chemistry edited by Peryshkin, the guys get in a "natural" form. Based on it, paints are made, which also contain molten glass.

“This is material that we meet everywhere,” says Natalia Klimenko, associate professor of the Russian Chemical Engineering Technical University. “It is used in all areas, from home and everyday life to cosmos.” They start in the technology park with the basic application - with silicate water-glass paints and colored pigments.

China City Stars

In a chemical and technological university, glass painting is especially reverent, because in many respects the theory and practice of an interesting and very necessary process for industry was developed here. At the first chemical lessons for themselves, children will learn about the legacy of Professor Isaac Kitaigorodsky, who created with his like-minded people a new class of glass-crystal materials - ceramic. It was from them that Kremlin stars were made, and they gave the ruby color with the help of selenium.

Visually understand how these and other stained-glass windows are made, the equipped laboratory helps the children. We are ready to bet that not every adult knows the details of glass production. Children are not only given real paints created by RCTU scientists. They have a modern furnace for calcining billets. This is the most important technological element in the production of stained glass. “This is no longer art,” said rector Alexander Mazhuga. “These are the basics of industrial design.” Paint under high temperature hardens and can last for centuries.

There is another experimental furnace in the technopark, in which the temperature can reach 1300 degrees. And this is a great occasion to demonstrate the properties of various compounds. Older children are actively interested in space technology. For example, refractory materials that are used to create interstellar spaceships. The furnace ideally simulates the maximum heating of such structures. A piece of metal is placed in the red-hot bowels of the device - and after a few seconds we get a flaming stone, which has not lost its shape at all. Something like a weighty piece of coal from a solidly heated barbecue. But only space material after such processing can be safely picked up and not burned!

Volcano formula

Meanwhile, other laboratories are preparing for new experiments. Meet: Ammonium Dichromate. It’s better not to write his formula — we are still not in the classroom. On a specially prepared plate from this dichromate we make a slide. Then with a stick we carefully form a crater. And into it - a little C2H5ON (well, probably everyone is familiar with ethyl alcohol) and light it up in every sense. So much for the "last day of Pompeii." The real eruption begins with ashes and sparks! And all this is the result of a chemical reaction (decomposition of the dichromate itself), described in textbooks by a dull Latin alphabet. A special effect is in the end, when sheaves of sparks erupt from fluffy ash, chromium oxide, which was formed as a result of our experiment.

Teenagers who already have chemistry at school will be much more interested in learning what goes beyond the program. Specialized laboratories are open for the most inquisitive children. Here the process of creating substances and compounds with which the younger ones only experiment will be shown. Young chemists will learn how leading companies develop the latest drugs and nanomaterials. The equipment of these laboratories will not be inferior to that used in large enterprises. For example, 3D printers for metal and wood, a laser system, a device for the spectral analysis of materials ... And of course, a holographic Musion cube that creates the illusion of an image in the air. Studying at the Mendeleev Center will be a good help for high school students. Indeed, in addition to applied knowledge, they will also receive serious advantages in the selection of applicants at the Russian Technical University. The best graduates of the technology park will add 10 points to the exam.

Source: https://rg.ru/