Summary

In this activity, students will watch a video about the history of acids and bases. They will learn about the evolution of these theories, from Lavoisier to Arrhenius, Bronsted-Lowry, and Lewis.

Grade Level

High and Middle School

Objectives

By the end of this activity, students should be able to

• Describe how the various acid and base theories have progressed through the centuries.
• Understand the pH scale.

Chemistry Topics

This activity supports students’ understanding of

• Acid & Bases
• Acid/Base Theories
• Strong vs. Weak Acids
• pH
• History of Chemistry

Time

Teacher Preparation: minimal

Materials

• Acid & Base Guys Video
• Student Handout
• Projector with Volume
• AACT Student Video Pass (optional)

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• The Acid & Base Guys video was developed as a part of the AACT original video series, Founders of Chemistry. The entire series can be found here.
• The running time of this video is six minutes.
• This video is intended for students to watch, and for teachers to integrate into their curriculum.
• The student questions/answers are presented in sequential order in the video.
• An answer key has also been provided for teacher reference.
• Videos can be shown with the use of a classroom projector, or teachers can generate a Student Video Pass through their AACT membership to allow students to independently access the video.