Curricular Materials on the Chemistry of Pottery, Including Thermodynamic Calculations for Redox Reactions in the 3-Stage Firing Process of Athenian Black- and Red-Figure Vases Produced from the Sixth–Fourth Centuries BCE

• Christopher R. Vyhnal ^[1]
  1. [1] The Thacher School, United States
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 99, Nº 2, 2022, págs. 768-776
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • In place of a traditional Advanced Placement Chemistry class at the high school where I teach, I have recently developed and implemented a year-long, interdisciplinary curriculum that presents typical inorganic chemistry topics in the context of their relevant applications in archeology, art history, studio art, and the investigation, authentication, restoration, and conservation of cultural heritage materials. One of the units in the new course explores the chemistry of pottery and includes curricular materials presented in three lessons and described here: (1) an introductory slideshow and a problem set that has students complete general stoichiometric and gas law calculations and examine SiO2 specific gravity data, refractive index data, and phase diagrams related to chemical reactions that dehydrate kaolinite clay and temperature changes that produce SiO2 phase transformations during firing, (2) a laboratory exercise that has students create their own pinch pots and coil pots and measure mass changes resulting from water lost during drying and bisque firing, and (3) a slideshow, web-based video resources, and case study that allow students to explore in detail the technically sophisticated, 3-stage (oxidizing–reducing–oxidizing, hereafter “ORO”) firing process that was used to create aesthetically elegant, Athenian black- and red-figure vases starting in the sixth century BCE, and to conduct thermodynamic calculations to verify the plausibility of several dehydration and redox reactions that are thought to have produced characteristically colored minerals that have been observed both in ancient pots and in modern reproductions. These curricular materials represent a novel way to stimulate and engage students in the application of their chemistry skills and content knowledge in an interdisciplinary context and are suitable for use by teachers of general chemistry or interdisciplinary science and art classes in high schools, colleges, and universities.