Turn aluminum cans into pickles! An engaging experiment has learners chemically change aluminum into a substance with many purposes including the manufacture of pickles. After performing the chemical conversion, the experimenters verify the identity of the substance and calculate percent yield. 

Concepts

aluminum, recycling, waste management

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

science

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Have learners read the introduction to the activity and take notes on the environmental impact of aluminum
• Use chemical reactions as practice for balancing equations

Classroom Considerations

• Allow time for collecting materials and setting up the experiment

Pros

• Includes a handout to complete as a lab write-up 
• Discusses the necessary safety precautions

Cons

• The can diagram uses a Budweiser can, which would not be appropriate for a high school classroom