Home > Company Information > In The News and Press Releases > Dec 15, 2006 Wall Street Journal - Chemistry Sets Provide a Gift Solution

Dec 15, 2006 Wall Street Journal - Chemistry Sets Provide a Gift Solution

This holiday, we wanted to find a kid's gift that would really make a bang. We wanted a chemistry set.

Though many adults have fond memories of playing with sets that created explosions or fires, sets are a little safer these days. They have relatively innocuous liquids like alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, rather than lye and sulfuric acid. Burners and glass beakers used to be common, but many of today's kits forgo heat and use plastic. The Smithsonian Microchem Xm 5000 set says on the box: "only micro amounts of chemicals needed to perform experiments." In fall 2005, maker Thames & Kosmos released the CHEM C3000. The set has 400 experiments, two dozen chemicals and an alcohol burner, but the company says the "safety precautions and instructions ensure safe experimentation." Sales of its science kits are up 45% over a year ago.

Does safer mean less fun? We hit science-related stores online for kits with a recommended age range starting between 9 to 12. To help with testing, we recruited six science fans, age 8 to 16, and high-school science teacher Linda Wu of Parsippany, N.J.

Non-Newtonian Fluids

Each set seemed safe enough for the recommended age group -- and each had some engaging features. The $24 Young Scientists Set 12 from DiscoverThis.com, for ages 9 to 12, kept our younger testers happy; we watched pepper on water "jump" away when soap is added. However, kids (or even parents) might have a hard time getting through all 17 experiments, because the manual brought in some complicated explanations for terms like non-Newtonian and ideal fluids.

Above, Thames & Kosmos; below, Discovery Channel Store The 86-page manual for the $40 Smithsonian Microchem Xm 5000, from the Smithsonian Store, was easier to follow. It had instructions for an impressive 1,500 experiments for children 10 and up, plus about two dozen chemicals and a pair of goggles. Robert, 15, liked the punch-out cardboard models of ions, which help demonstrate how many of each ion will fit together. Still, many of the experiments were variations on a theme. They came in groups of about four to eight (for example, cooling water, sugar and alcohol solutions separately) and required long stretches of attention to make it to the end.

The Skilcraft Chemlab 1100, for $35 from Nature's Odyssey, had over 1,100 experiments for ages 9 and up, from classic (making rock candy by mixing water and sugar) to tougher tasks such as creating adhesives. The manual was slightly confusing, though, since it covers two models, the 1100 and the 1500. We wondered briefly where some of the chemicals listed in the instructions were, before realizing they weren't included.

The $40 Discovery Chem-X 1000 Lab, from the Discovery Store, had a clearer manual, with nearly identical experiments and similar testing equipment: 10 chemicals, test tubes with rack, funnel, tweezers, pH paper, nine-volt battery cap, lab plate and more. Ms. Wu liked the graduated cylinder, to measure liquids. Everyone liked the foam pellets, which Warren, 11, mixed with isopropyl alcohol until they partially dissolved. Charlie, 15, said he would have liked to see bigger vials of chemicals, but some experiments didn't require any special equipment: One involved shaking up a soda bottle, an illustration of a gas/liquid mixture. Unlike the Skilcraft, the set also came with a handy plastic carrying case with handle. For ages 9 and up, it's our Best Value.

For children 12 and up, the Thames & Kosmos set came close to a real high-school chemistry lab. The set was by far the most expensive, at $200, but it was the most comprehensive. Three Styrofoam cases held about two dozen chemicals and a wide variety of equipment, from an Erlenmeyer flask to multiple test tubes. The color manual, with photos and graphics, had clear and simple instructions for 400 experiments.

The panel loved the range of chemicals, and began mixing them right away -- once they figured out how to get into the tough-to-open containers. (The manufacturer says it's a safety precaution.) They really had fun with the magnesium strips that burned brightly when lit on fire. The glassware and alcohol burner may require increased supervision; earlier in the test, the teenagers dropped some of the plastic test tubes on the floor. And not everything was included. When we made luminol, which glows blue in the dark, we had to go to the garage to find lye. It was a success anyway, getting "oohs" and "aahs" from the entire panel. It's Best Overall.

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