Correspondence

ADVANCED COURSES IN HIGH-SCHOOL CHEMISTRY

In the ho$e that they may be of interest to our readers, we $ublish thefollow- ing three letters, which are self-explanatory.

I have a question that you may be able to help me with in some way. Last year I had about 25 Superior students in my beginning class in

chemistry and this year they are asking that I teach an advanced class so they might have more of the subject.

We do not have any advanced class now in a school of eleven hundred students.

Do any of the large schools have an advanced class and if so what do they teach in it and have they had success?

My students want some work in organic chemistry and analysis as well as reports on recent developments.

It may be advisable to have a discussion through your paper. Thanking you for any help you may be able to give me, I am

Very truly yours,

I am interested in your inquiry and the letter of Prof. Taylor of Central High School, Superior, Wis. I will try to outline what we do in Chemistry 2, saying in advance that the prime objective is a review of Chemistry 1 with a different mode of approach.

We use qualitative analysis for the early part of the year, but not for the sake of teaching analysis so much as making a review of the properties of the metals. For example, the class studies the metallurgy and properties and uses of silver, then runs through its qualitative reactions and recites on the whole. After sufficient metals have been reviewed the teacher presents a method of systematic analysis demonstrating this experimentally before the class. The pupil then analyzes some simple solutions ("un- knowns") and a few easy, dry substances. In this fashion each quali- tative group is handled. The pupil is graded on his recitations, on the accuracy of his determinations, on the quantity of these, and on his examinations. This plan makes some home study necessary even in a course in analysis.

This part of the course ends on April lst, after which date a new sort of work is begun. Each pupil is assigned some substance for study and preparation, a different assignment to each boy: he reads up the literature on his substance, writes a theme, reads this before the class with illustra- tions, and sometimes with lantern slides. Then hegoes into thelaboratory and makes a considerable quantity of this substance, keeping track of his costs, purity of materials and of product, and the like. Then he reports to the class a second time, showing his product, discussing its purity, cost, yield, etc., and answering questions. He compares his cost with cur- rent market prices and shows his loss or profit as the case may be. These assignments include both organic and inorganic substances and when finished are turned into laboratory stock.

We have about 2000 pupils in this school, all boys: 315 are taking Chem- istry 1 this year and 42 are taking Chemistry 2. A boy may start Chemistry 1 in either thud or fourth year, so if he wants to take two years of chemistry he must foresee this in time to start his Chemistry 1 in third year. Pupils in the scientific course are required to do this, their elections being in some other department.

Very truly yours,

CITY COLLEGE, LESLIE H. INGHAM BALTIMO~. MD.

We have for many years followed a one-year course of seven periods per week on general chemistry with a second-year course of 7 periods per we*& in the qualitative analysis of the common metals. The methods of sepa- ration throughout the entire scheme are developed inductively and applied deductively in the determination of metals in a large number of solutions, salts, and alloys.

The class-room part of this course consists of a study of principles sug- gested in these analyses and the commercial processes used in the produc- tion of these metals and their chief compounds.

This is followed as far as time will permit by the preparation of common inorganic substances based on Arthur A. Blanchard's "Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry."

There are two objects in this course (1) a training in careful manipula- tion and in logical experimentation, (2) through class-room work to broaden and deepen the student's knowledge of chemical principles, their applica- tion in the production of the metals used in this qualitative chemistry, and the uses of these metals and their chief compounds.

While this course has been successful and more students would take i t were there time to do so, I am inclined to the belief that one year of chem-