I didn't know what TikTok was. My student took my phone, made an account, and changed my career.

Phillip Cook's student opened his TikTok account and changed his career.

Courtesy of Phillip Cook Phillip Cook teaches chemistry to high schoolers in New York City.

He also has nearly four million followers on TikTok, where he teaches all ages.

He says he wants to inspire curiosity about the world around us, for learners of every age.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Phillip Cook .

It has been edited for length and clarity .

A physicist or a mathematician might argue with me, but I believe chemistry is the best way to understand how the world works.

Once you understand atoms , the underpinnings of the world around us can be explained.

Over the past 26 years, I've aimed to demonstrate this for my students through experiments.

One of my favorites involves dissolving an aluminum soda can with sodium hydroxide, more commonly known as lye.

Once the can dissolves, students can see the invisible plastic liner inside, which holds the soda.

I've been doing these experiments for decades.

In 2019, when a student told me I should film them, I didn't realize that decision would change my life .

The TikTok was a student's idea It happened at the beginning of the school year , a time when I do a lot of demonstrations to get my students curious about chemistry.