MEL Chemistry is a subscription box for kids ages 10-16+ from parent company MEL Science that sends all of the materials you need to complete 2-3 chemistry experiments every month. This is perfect for kids who are interested in science or for homeschool students!
This is a review of MEL Chemistry (for ages 10-16+), which costs $34.90 per month.
ACTIVE DEAL: Use code FREEBOX to get your first box free w/new subscription
CODE: BOGO
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
Check out our reviews for MEL Physics (ages 8- 14+) and MEL Kids (ages 5-9+) to see what else MEL Science has to offer!
First Impressions
Everything was packaged neatly and wrapped individually. It was very easy to locate everything I needed.
Starter Kit & More
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Before we get into this month's box, I want to quickly highlight a few of the extra features that we have access to. Firstly, your free starter kit (valued at $50.00) will come in your first shipment. It includes all of the equipment you'll need to conduct your experiments each month and even includes some accessories for your tablet or smartphone to help you access all of the information they provide in their apps. To see more details about everything we received in our kit, you can check out our Starter Kit review here!
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Also included with our Starter Kit was this virtual reality headset. This cardboard headset folds up easily and then you slip your phone into the slot and use their free MEL VR app. The VR app opens up in a lab where we have the opportunity to learn about different molecules and atoms and explore them closely. This is so great for gaining a deeper understanding of what happens throughout our experiments and is a fun extension to our lessons!
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While they provide individual cards for each experiment, we also have the option of accessing the directions through the app, which provides a more interactive way to complete the experiments. Here is a look at how the app is set up. It's well organized and easy to use with information on safe disposal, some troubleshooting tips, and a scientific description of what happens during the experiment. You can even set a reminder to start the experiment.
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The app gives so much detail about each of the reagents including a description, hazards, precautions, and even a link to the Wikipedia page for further information. So thorough! And it's even more fun if you interact through the VR app! Now let's get to this month's box!
What's Inside the Box
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The outside of our box has information all about our reagents, a table of contents, and several safety warnings.
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While we needed to grab a few things from our starter kit, they provided all of our reagents, some measuring spoons, gloves, wooden sticks, thermostickers, a petri dish, some small vials, a small funnel, some metal tweezers, filter paper, a candle, empty candle holders, and some foil for us.
Experiment 1: Alchemy
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Our first experiment was "Alchemy" and we were using some solid fuel along with zinc sulfate and ammonium chloride.
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I added some solid fuel to the foil in my pocket stove, then placed an empty candle holder on the top section and filled it with a whole bottle of zinc sulfate and three big spoons of ammonium chloride. Then I added one zinc rod and one copper ring before lighting the solid fuel.
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The mixture boiled away and once the solid fuel had burned out I removed the copper ring from the tweezers and dipped it in some water. When I removed it, I could see that all of the copper was gone and I now had a silver ring! I loved that our instructions had a little section about how chemists of the past tried to turn cheaper metals like copper into rarer metals like silver. It sounds like if we were to reheat our ring, it would combine the silver and copper to form a pretty brass color! We might have to try it!
Experiment 2: Copper Mirror
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The next experiment was "Copper Mirror" and we needed some sodium acetate, sodium ascorbate, and copper sulfate solution.
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I filled the vial with one bottle of sodium acetate and a big spoonful of sodium ascorbate. Then I shook it up before adding one bottle of copper sulfate. I replaced the lid and shook it again. I now had this dark blue liquid that I had to place under a lamp or in the sunlight for 3-6 hours.
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After just a half-hour, I started to notice the change in color, but if you swipe you can see the coppery color inside the bottle.
Here is what my bottle looked like after dumping out the contents of the bottle - a nice coating of copper inside.
Experiment 3: Copper Dendrite
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The final experiment was "Copper Dendrite" for which we just needed some copper sulfate and two pieces of zinc.
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I added a piece of filter paper to the larger half of my petri dish then put 15 drops of copper sulfate on it. I used the other half of the petri dish to press it down ensuring that the whole piece of paper was moistened. Then I bent two zinc bars and placed them on the paper. Then it was time to wait! The whole thing had to be left undisturbed for two hours.
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After just a little while the dendrites began to form. Swipe to see how it looked after a longer period of time! While I didn't catch the dendrites in their liquid form, you can see even when they dried how much they expanded out from the zinc!
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $34.90 per month
ACTIVE DEAL: Use code FREEBOX to get your first box free w/new subscription
CODE: BOGO
I liked that we received three experiments this month and all of them had great reactions to witness, even if there was a good bit of waiting to see them occur! We also still have some pieces of copper left, so I think we can perform similar, but slightly different experiments with those which will be a great reinforcement lesson! I think the value we received this month was pretty good considering we can repeat all three of these experiments again!
Key Takeaways
I loved how well this box was organized and I thought there were some great explanations of the cool reactions we got to witness! Overall, this is just a really great way to safely learn chemistry from home and I think it makes a great homeschool or supplemental lesson!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add MEL Chemistry to your subscription list or wishlist!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, it is possible that you will receive this set. From MEL Chemistry:
"The topics are looped such that the start date of your subscription does not matter; you will eventually receive all the experiment sets."
ACTIVE DEAL: Use code FREEBOX to get your first box free w/new subscription
CODE: BOGO
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