Walk into almost any lab, and you’ll find beakers within arm’s reach. They’re everywhere, and for good reason. But there’s a tendency to treat them as interchangeable, and that’s where things go ...

A chemistry hobbyist, Piscataway High School senior Arya Patel often performs experiments for fun—like this colorful one. Arya crafted a “majestic sea of copper” by carefully adding ammonia solution ...