There s no need for expensive, high-tech lab equipment to conduct chemistry experiments you probably have all you need in your home junk drawer. Turn three pennies and two galvanized washers into a simple battery. Crush a soda can using atmospheric pressure. Convert an LED flashlight into a simple electrolyte tester. Split liquid water into two unique gasses, or use cornstarch to create a gooey, mysterious, non-Newtonian fluid. And model radioactive decay using M&M s, or a chain reaction with a set of dominoes. Who needs a laboratory when you have a kitchen counter? Science teacher Bobby Mercer provides readers with more than 50 great hands-on experiments that can be performed for just pennies . or less.

Each project has a materials list, detailed step-by-step instructions with illustrations, and a brief explanation of the scientific principle being demonstrated."Junk Drawer Chemistry"also includes sidebars of fascinating chemistry facts: did you know that dynamite can be made from peanuts? Educators and parents will find this title a handy resource to teach children about chemistry topics that include atoms, compounds, solutions, mixtures, reactions, thermodynamics, acids and bases, and more, and have fun at the same time.".