By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

EAST WALNUT HILLS - Professor N. Sane stood in front of a chemistry class at St. Ursula Academy Friday and poured hydrogen peroxide, dishwashing liquid, food coloring and sodium iodide into a plastic pumpkin.

Within seconds, green foam poured out of the pumpkin's eye, nose and mouth openings.

The foam, part of the Oozing Pumpkin Head experiment, was one of several Halloween-themed demonstrations in which teacher Sandy Campbell - Professor N. Sane - showed how chemical reactions made glowing liquid, foaming pumpkins, disappearing in, and other Halloween effects.

"I didn't know what kind of reaction would make light," said senior Caitlin Sherman, 17, who was dressed as a witch. "This is so much fun. Everyone is so into Halloween."

Although she has been dressing up for more than 20 years at Halloween, it has only been the last two that Campbell and fellow chemistry teacher Lynne Hansen put together the hour-long program.

"You want to have the Halloween fun but still be educational," Campbell said. "Everything we do is tied to the curriculum. They are learning the chemical process."

In the background, Campbell let a slow dribble of water run over dry ice in the sink, which made a white fog like mist in the classroom. It showed how a solid form could be transformed into a gas.

"It takes hours of preparation to make it as elaborate as we do," Campbell said.

Senior Faith Brown said she had been looking forward to chemistry class.

"It's really a nice break from the regular routine of lectures and labs," said Brown, 17, of Roselawn. "This is a fascinating experiment."

But that wasn't the only Halloween-themed experiments that the 677 students participated in.

Throughout the day, physics teacher Chris Dwyer - dressed as Merlin the Magician - demonstrated chemical combustion by blowing up pumpkins. It was done by using an empty plastic bottle and combustible materials.

"They will be tested on everything that happened today in the science classes," said Marianne Lang, public relations director.

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E-mail suek@infionline.net