Chemistry With a Bang
High school chemistry teacher Phil Cook films experiments that flash, foam and change color, and explains the reactions behind them.
What it is
@chemteacherphil belongs to Phil Cook, who has taught chemistry for more than twenty years at Culver Academies in Indiana. In lab coat and goggles, he films short English-language clips of reactions that flare, foam, smoke and shift color, then walks you through what actually happened. It is a chemistry TikTok made by someone who explains the subject to teenagers every working day.
Why we picked it
The origin story is a good one. A student suggested Phil film a demo during class and post it, and the first upload was a gummy bear meeting molten potassium chlorate. It took off, and the account has since grown to millions of followers, with coverage from Education Week and NBC's Today along the way.
What keeps us watching is that the spectacle always serves the science. Phil makes paper from grass clippings, models a nuclear chain reaction with mousetraps and ping pong balls, and sets plenty of things on fire, but every effect comes with a reaction you can follow. He runs versions of these same demos for his real students, so what you get is a genuine chemistry lesson squeezed into a minute, not a stunt reel.
Where to start
- The combustion and colored-flame clips, which make oxidation click faster than any textbook diagram.
- Foam demos like elephant toothpaste, a classroom classic done properly.
- Everyday-object experiments such as the mousetrap chain reaction and grass paper.
- His Instagram under the same handle, if you would rather not use TikTok.
Who it's for
Students who think chemistry is just formulas, parents looking for a way to make science click at home, and teachers hunting for demo ideas. The explanations are in English, but the experiments themselves are visual enough to enjoy even if English is not your first language.
Quick answers
Can I try these experiments at home? Mostly no. Many use lab-grade chemicals and safety gear, and Phil performs them in a school lab as a trained teacher.
Do I need the app to watch? No. The profile opens in any browser from a link, and you can watch without an account.
Is this aimed at kids or adults? Both. The clips are school-friendly, but plenty of adults follow along for the reactions.
