Chemistry resources and research ideas to help you with your free science fair projects.

Chemistry Resources for Free Science Fair Projects

Click Here to visit the Periodic Table of Elements for help with your free science fair projects

The Los Alamos National Laboratory's Chemistry Division has an excellent free online Periodic Table of the Elements. Click on the element and it provides you with other details such as the atomic number, symbol and weight, the electron configuration, atomic radius, melting point, boiling point, oxidation states and history. Where applicable it also has information on it's forms, properties, isotopes, uses and costs. Very slick.

Trouble learning the elements? KazooToys.com has a great item that will help you learn while you eat called the Read A Mat Placemat: Periodic Table of Elements If you want a wall chart, shirt, cup, etc. with the Periodic Table on them, check out Edmund Scientific.

NIST Chemistry WebBook

The NIST Chemistry WebBook provides access to data compiled and distributed by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) under the Standard Reference Data Program. You can search for data on specific compounds in the Chemistry WebBook based on name, chemical formula, CAS registry number, molecular weight, chemical structure, or selected ion energetics and spectral properties.

Did You Know?

The world's largest natural crystals are located in the Cave of Crystals, also known as Cueva de los Cristales, a chamber located about 1000 feet deep in the Naica Mine in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Some of the translucent gypsum (selenite) crystal beams in this mine are up to 36 feet long and 4 feet in diameter and weigh up to 55 tons!

The Naica Mine is a lead, zinc and silver mine in which large voids have been found containing these huge crystals. The Cave of Crystals was discovered because the mining company's operation continually pumps the water out of these caves, otherwise it would still be filled with water. Because of the very long period of precise water temperature and unique conditions in these caves, the crystals were able to grow this large. If the mining company stopped their pumping operation, these crystals would presumably continue growing.

The cavern was discovered while the miners were drilling through the Naica fault, which they were worried would flood the mine.

More information as well as some phenomenal photos can be found by following these links:
Wikipedia.org
National Geographics Online
Science Photo Library

A special thanks to Javier Trueba with Madrid Scientific Films in Madrid Spain for allowing us to present these magnificent photos on our website. He is the lucky photographer that captured these amazing images!

Click Here to see some phenomenal photos of the Cave of Crystals

The Free Science Fair Projects Network

The Free Science Fair
Projects Network