CHICAGO (October 1, 2013)—Ready, set, react! The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) has a new app called goREACT designed for mobile/smartphones, tablets, and Web, and available for both iOS and Android platforms.

Based on the interactive periodic table experience, Create a Chemical Reaction, in the Museum’s Science Storms exhibit, this fun app lets users explore elements and reactions, and connect chemistry with the world around them.

“The goREACT app gives a new twist to the familiar periodic table by letting people create virtual reactions,” said Patricia Ward, MSI’s director of science and technology. “Not only is the app a unique teaching tool, it extends the Museum’s interactive learning experiences to a much wider range of kids, parents and teachers—and it’s fun.”

The app takes the iconic periodic table—the classic chemistry tool that organizes the elements according to their properties—and converts it into an interactive, digital experience, letting users explore all 118 elements and produce virtual chemical reactions. Whether you're a novice or expert, the goREACT makes chemistry fun and fascinating!

Users can initiate nearly 300 virtual chemical reactions by dragging elements into the Reaction Area, and amazing images and videos illustrate the molecules you create. For example, see table salt (sodium chloride) appear when you drag an atom of both sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) into the Reaction Area; mix two atoms of fluorine (F), the most reactive of all the elements, with an atom of barium (Ba) and discover that infrared images use barium fluoride; mix three oxygen atoms and you’ll see lightning flash, indicating that ozone has been created. With helpful hints about reactions to try, there’s always something exciting to explore, and a “Featured Reactions” menu guides users through themed sets of chemical reactions related to particular applications, such as the environment, beauty products or cars.

Select alternate views of the periodic table to discover different aspects of the elements’ chemical properties; touch any of the periodic table's 118 elements to see an image and fun fact about it. User can learn more about how the periodic table is organized, and follow links to additional educational resources.

goREACT was created with the generous support of The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation  through a collaboration between the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI), Patten Studio, and AKTA Web Studio.