Re: photo chemistry in the classroom

Hi:

The classic Wall's Photographic Facts and Formulas has a very good concise
summary of the different components of a developer and the role each
component serves and what chemicals can be used to server these roles and
the effect they have on a developer.

It then lists a series of developers and their purposes.

Once I had read this I was able to teach myself a great deal about
developers by simply mixing a variety of the common developers, seeing how
they work, and fiddling around with the various components.

A stouffer step tablet helps a great deal to evaluate the results.

The book also talks about stop baths and fixrs.

A good introductory course of photographic chemistry could be done based
on this book.

Other good formula sites are:
Jack's Photographic and Chemistry Site
http://www.jackspcs.com/

and of course Ed Buffalo's site

an article specifically on the chemistry of developers
http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Developers/developers.html

and a general section on a variety of developers.
http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/articles.html
 (find the section entitled: Film and Film Developers)

And then there are Anchell's formulae books
The Darkroom Cookbook, Second Edition -- by Steve Anchell;

The Film Developing Cookbook (Darkroom Cookbook)
by Steve Anchell, Bill Troop

You could teach your students how to take pictures with a cardboard box,
mix their own developer, and make their own print medium :)

Gord

On Wed, 6 Apr 2005, Barry Kleider wrote:

> Hi, all.
>
> I have been asked to teach a chemistry of photography class for high
> school students next fall.
>
> Almost all of my work to date has been on the creative side of things.
> My lab work has been strictly by the book - the actual chemistry wasn't
> very important - as long as it worked.
>
> Now, I need to figure out a short curriculum that I can do in a high
> school chemistry lab with all of the strict rules about hazardous
> chemicals, fumes, etc.
>
> I know some of you also teach... I'd like to come up with a project that
> involves having students mix their own chemicals, and leaves them with a
> print they can exhibit and take home.
>
> Feel free to contact me of list, or let the discussion take off.
>
> Thanks,
> Barry
>
>
>

---------------------------------------------------------
Gordon J. Holtslander Dept. of Biology
holtsg@duke.usask.ca 112 Science Place
http://duke.usask.ca/~holtsg University of Saskatchewan
Tel (306) 966-4433 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Fax (306) 966-4461 Canada S7N 5E2
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Received on Wed Apr 6 14:37:15 2005