The Ignition Series CHEM C100 Test Lab is a beginner set focused on chemical identification. It is the most basic set on our matrix and only comes with a few chemicals and a handful of simple tools. Compared to other beginner chemistry sets on our survey, this one comes with the fewest actual items in the box.
The chemistry sets on our lineup have many different focuses and you might choose one based on what types of activities your child likes best. The C100 Test Lab is for kids who like making concoctions, thinking creatively and following procedures (for example, kids who like brain teasers or puzzles might enjoy the deductive approach of this kit). This kit can also serve as a good indicator of whether your child would be interested in a more complex set like the C3000.
Even though this is a very small chemistry set, the CHEM C100 Test Lab's focus on chemical identification makes it a unique addition to our lineup.
As mentioned above, the C100 Test Lab’s experiments all have to do with chemical identification. For each chemical, you run through a series of tests and based on the results, you identify the chemical. The tests you perform include watching how the chemical reacts with water and heat, the formation of crystals, changes in state (solids, liquids and gases) and other simple experiments and observations.
Each test reveals certain properties of a chemical. For example, in the heat test, you hold a spoonful of sugar over a candle and observe how the glucose turns brown. Then, you compare the results with table salt and notice that without the glucose, the browning doesn’t occur. So, some of the experiments do not actually have you identify a chemical by its properties, but the idea is that you can extrapolate information about unknown chemicals by observing how they react to your tests and then comparing the results to those of your known chemicals.
The overarching theme of this kit is to expose kids to laboratory procedures, so the experiments aren’t as impressive for young kids as those of the Mind Blowing Science kit. Instead, this kit is more like the C500, in which the bulk of the activities are carried out in a spoon or test tube.
The C100 Test Lab comes with only a few pieces of equipment, including some test tubes, measuring devices and safety glasses. You will need several household items in order to conduct the experiments in this kit, including a candle, glass jars and other items. For each test, there is a list of required materials.
The C100 Test Lab comes with a few specialty chemicals including indicator solution. The experiments also call for several household chemicals including sugar, salt and laundry detergent.
This kit comes with a pamphlet-like instruction manual, with each pane dedicated to one type of test. The manual also includes some ground rules for experimentation and some tips for the supervising adult. For each test, the manual has procedures, explanations and a few sentences about why this type of test is useful in identifying chemicals. The kit also includes guide cards to help you identify chemicals based on what you see in your test results. There is one card for each chemical, listing what tests to perform and how to interpret the results.
The CHEM C100 Test Lab doesn’t offer the same range of experiments as our higher-rated kits, but it makes a great introduction to laboratory procedures. Using a small number of simple chemicals, this kit demonstrates several major principles of basic chemistry, including acid/base reactions, states of matter, chemical properties and the rules of proper experimentation. If your young chemist enjoys this kit, it might be worth trying out an intermediate kit like the CHEM C1000.
