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Reactions of organic compounds13 October 2018

This is very much a practical introduction to organic chemistry and is excellent for demonstrating (or reinforcing) the underlying theory. The aim is to familiarise students with some basic organic compounds... more

Hydrolysis of starch 13 October 2018

This is a relatively simple practical that can be used to illustrate some of the chemistry covered in the Option B: Biochemistry sub-topic B.4 Carbohydrates. It is suitable for both Standard and Higher... more

Preparation of nylon 6,612 October 2018

Nylon 6,6 was the first type of nylon to be made. It was produced by Wallace Carothers (1896 – 1937) in 1935 when he was working for Dupont at Wilmington, Delaware. Carothers suffered from depression... more

Electrolytic cells 12 October 2018

Electrolysis lends itself to some good practical work. Unfortunately there is little on the syllabus for Standard Level students to do practically. Sub-topic 9.2 Electrochemical cells requires students... more

Redox reactions of vanadium 12 October 2018

This experiment addresses two different areas of the Additional Higher Level (AHL) material. Topic 13.1 First-row d-block elements is concerned with the chemistry of the first-row transition elements... more

Other good practicals11 October 2018

You have a decision to make as a chemistry teacher. After you have taken away the ten hours for the internal assessment and the ten hours for the Group 4 Project you are left with 20 hours for Standard... more

Redox titration with KMnO4 11 October 2018

This is a particularly good experiment to use as part of the Scaffolding to prepare students for their individual scientific investigation. It introduces students to the practical technique of redox titration... more

Rate-dependent factors11 October 2018

This is one of the classic experiments. I think it is worth doing as it is tried and tested and gives students a good understand both of what is meant by reaction rate and how increasing either the concentration... more

Enthalpy changes11 October 2018

This is an excellent practical and well worth doing for several different reasons. It is divided into two parts – in a sense two separate experiments. The first determines directly the enthalpy change... more

A green acid-base practical11 October 2018

In 2008 a Living Planet report calculated that humans are using 30% more resources than the Earth can replenish each year. As more and more people from the developing world aspire to the same quality... more