The University of Southern Maine (USM) Chemistry Club performs shows at various schools around southern Maine to teach students of all ages about how Chemistry works using fun and interactive demonstrations. This year the club organized several demonstrations around the theme of the Chemistry of food, including the properties of certain foods and how food is digested and burned to make energy. One such demonstration includes burning an M&M in potassium chlorate, which then breaks down the M&M, causing colorful sparks to shoot out of the test tube, thus showing how food is broken down to release energy. In addition to this the club uses the freezing properties of liquid nitrogen to make ice cream. These, along with other demonstrations, give students the opportunity to not just learn about how food and energy are related, but also give them the benefit of being able to see it in action.

University of Southern Maine chemistry club uses demonstrations to teach students about the chemistry of food

245th National Meeting (2013)

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