ERIC Number: EJ1442973
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jan
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
An Experiment of Chemistry with Historical Context: 18th-Century Potash Production in Brazil
Juliana Mesquita Contarini; Amanda de Sousa Martinez de Freitas; Thiago Aguiar Cacuro; Lai´s Jubini Callegario; Fernando Jose´ Luna Oliveira; Walter Ruggeri Waldman
Journal of Chemical Education, v100 n1 p350-354 2023
Potash, an essential raw material of the 18th century, used to be produced from the ashes of plants. Known since antiquity, it was in 1807 that Humphry Davy put an end to the decades-long controversy about its nature as a compound. The technology behind potash production was implemented in Brazil by the Portuguese naturalist Frei Velloso. The steps in potash production and the related difficulties and controversies about its composition make this case study a convenient tool for teaching the history of chemistry. The results concluded that the potash production from ashes provided proper context for teaching practical extraction yield, carbonate identification, and pH determination.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Science Instruction, Chemistry, Science History, Inorganic Chemistry, Natural Resources, Science Curriculum, Science Experiments
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Brazil
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A