Microscale Chemistry

Microscale chemistry is an environmentally safe pollution prevention method of performing chemical processes using small quantities of chemicals without compromising the quality and standard of chemical applications in education.

Instituting microscale laboratory techniques to chemistry teaching laboratories is one of the best ways to minimize the quantity of waste generated. It provides a means of source reduction and therefore waste reduction, increases the safety of students and provides for decreased purchasing costs of chemicals.

Microscale Chemistry offers many benefits:

• It reduces chemical use promoting waste reduction at the source.
• It offers vastly improved laboratory safety by
  • Better Laboratory Air Quality.
  • Least Exposure to Toxic Chemicals.
  • No Fire and Explosion Hazards.
  • No Spills and Accidents.
• It sharply reduces laboratory cost.
• It requires shorter experiment time.
• It implements excellent laboratory manipulative techniques.
• It lowers glass breakage cost.
• It saves storage space.
• It improves laboratory skills.
• It provides clean and productive environment.
• It promotes the principle of 3Rs: Reduce, Recover and Recycle.
• It creates the sense of 'Green Chemistry'.
• It changes the psychology of people using chemicals.
• It is user friendly to people with physical disabilities.

Related Links

• Delta College Small Scale Chemistry Case Study (pdf)
• National Microscale Chemistry Center
• Laboratory Waste Minimization & Pollution Prevention

Kitchen Chemistry

Kitchen chemistry involves experiments performed in a classroom setting using items found in an ordinary household kitchen.   The benefits to utilizing kitchen chemistry techniques include the use of easily acquired low cost materials, improved safety with the use of non-toxic materials, and the reduction in disposal of hazardous materials.

Related Links

• Pittsburgh Teachers Institute 
• North Carolina State University