Pull up a seat at this giant table--yes, it's actually a wooden periodic table--and learn more than you ever dreamed you could about calcium, helium, barium and their more exotic cousins. Most exciting, for every element in the table, there's technical data and the table's creator, Theodore Gray, has actual samples of most of the elements. Get the goods on starting your own element collection or just appreciate Mr. Gray's first-rate menagerie, including an 85-gram bar of gold and 10-gram ampoule of scandium. Some of the samples have been donated; others gathered from such humble lodes as eBay and Wal-Mart. The site is a blast to click through, not to mention highly educational, and gazing at the elements photo album can be as exhilarating as pawing through a queen's jewels.
Chemistry of How Things Work
ChemCases provides 12 background studies for concepts in general chemistry familiar to most people as a means of leveling the playing field when teaching, learning or exploring science. Kennesaw State University's team hopes that by presenting the scientific, social and ethical history of such products as GatoradeR, silicone, cancer drugs and alcohol, scholars will bring common experiences to their studies and therefore come to the lab table ready for an exploration of science from the angle that chemists approach their own trials. Each case is presented in both short summary and longer, researcher-geared formats to satisfy investigators of all ranges of curiosity and depths of experience.
The Chemical Heritage Foundation
Highlights of the history of the chemical sciences are presented here with panache. The site features interactive timelines, attractive artwork and a large, searchable database of oral histories from luminaries as bright as Linus Pauling and Carl Djerassi. In addition, the site boasts a wide variety of classroom resources for teachers of all levels of chemistry. Visitors will be wise to take note that the Chemical Heritage Foundation's Web presence gives just a taste--albeit a delicious one--of all their events and libraries at their headquarters in Philadelphia and in their regular traveling exhibits.
General Chemistry Online
The jumping off point, or review landing pad, for all things chemistry-related. Whether you're a student of the chemical sciences looking for Avogadro's number, a chem novice looking to be convinced of the importance of studying the elements, or just wondering what the heck hair spray is made of, you've come to the right place. General Chemistry Online covers the basics and beyond, including a huge FAQ section on all things chemical, an exam survival guide and a library of common compounds. Be sure to visit the "Toolbox" to download the JavaScript pop-up periodic table.
Common Molecules Collection
A site chock-full of common molecules based on their use in the world or chem classrooms or their structural properties. The molecules are archived into such categories as Minerals and Gems, Biochemical Molecules, Taste and Aroma and Insect Molecules. Once settled on a molecule, be it the amino acid leucine or the artificial sweetener aspartame, visitors may view it in infinite applets. They'll turn it around in 3-D, even in stereo, examine it from every possible angle, view a space-filling model and play crystallographer all day long. The curious chemist can also read up on the uses of the molecule, search for a particular structure, or browse all the structures at once.
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