The Royal Society of Chemistry and Learn Chemistry are proud to sponsor the conversion of five PhET simulations from flash into HTML5. This means they will play now also nicely on a range of tablets and mobile devices, as well as desktop computers. They are also being updated, bringing their designs into 2014 too! The first simulations released from our partnership are Build an Atom, Beer’s Law and Concentration. These simulations are popular with teachers around the world due to the minimal language barrier and those with language included are rapidly translated by PhETs very active community.




      Beer's Law simulation


















                            Build an Atom simulation







 Concentration simulation


But why? I think PhET can explain it really well in their own words:

PhET provides fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena for free. We believe that our research-based approach- incorporating findings from prior research and our own testing- enables students to make connections between real-life phenomena and the underlying science, deepening their understanding and appreciation of the physical world.

The PhET simulations can help students visually comprehend the concepts by using animations to bring the invisible to life - Build an Atom and Build a Molecule (flash) in particular. Simulations can be explored in a freeform fashion using drag-and-drop, sliding and measurement instruments such as rulers, pH meters and thermometers. The user affects the responses immediately thus demonstrating cause and effect relationships.

All PhET animations are free to use and more can be found on their website. Look out for more RSC sponsored simulations in the next few months (pH and Acid-Base solutions)…!

At the Royal Society of Chemistry we have been working to develop a series of online professional development courses that complement our face to face courses and can be accessed via our new online platform.
We need your help to test it out - your honest feedback will help us to ensure that these courses are as useful as possible.
Enter the prize draw by reviewing the Quantitative Chemistry module and completing our feedback survey by midnight on the 24^th of March 2014.
Thank you for your time and input, and good luck!
 
Additional information
To access the course you will be asked to set up a RSC ID – this is free and very easy to do.
Please use Chrome or Firefox to view the course while we iron out a couple of technical issues with how some aspects of the course are displayed in other browsers.
All fully completed surveys submitted before midnight on the 24^th of March will be entered into the prize draw for a chance to win the Kindle Fire HD.
Link to course: www.rsc.org/cpd/teachers/online
Link to survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NCM7HC8
 
Terms and Conditions

1. Talk Chemistry teachers have the opportunity to enter the free prize draw for the chance to win a Kindle Fire HD (the “Prize”).
2. To enter the prize draw, complete the survey as described above.
3. The prize draw closes at midnight on 24^th March 2014.
4. The winner will be chosen at random from all successful entrants after the closing date.
5. The winner will be notified by email within one week of the closing date of the prize draw.
6. Within one week of notification the winner is required to email confirmation of their postal address and acceptance of the Prize to the Promoter. In the event that the winner does not provide the required confirmation within one week the entry may be disqualified and an alternative winner may be chosen.
7. The Prize will be sent by post on receipt of address confirmation from the winner.
8. The prize draw is open to all teachers who must have reviewed the course material as described above and have a valid email address.
9. All entrants must be aged 18 years or over.
10. Only one entry per person per household.
11. The Prize cannot be transferred and no cash alternative is available.
12. The Prize is as stated and is subject to availability. In the event of the Prize being unavailable, an alternative prize of equal value will be provided.
13. The winner’s details will only be used by the Royal Society of Chemistry for administration of the prize and publication of the prize draw winner as detailed below and for no other purpose.
14. The winner’s name and country may be displayed on www.rsc.org or other social media websites within 28 days of the closing date.
15. The winner consents to their name and county being disclosed to other entrants on request.
16. Use of a false name or address will result in disqualification.
17. Entries not completed in ‎accordance with these terms and conditions will not be accepted. No responsibility is accepted for any entries that are not submitted on time or in full or not received by the Promoter for any reason, such as corrupted web pages.
18. Employees of Royal Society of Chemistry or any associated companies and immediate members of their families, are not eligible to enter the prize draw.
19. By entering the prize draw, entrants agree to be bound by the rules and by any other requirements set out in the promotional material.
20. The decisions of the Promoter will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
21. By entering the prize draw, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions, which are governed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
22. In the event that any terms and condition(s) are deemed invalid, illegal or otherwise unenforceable, they shall be severed from these terms and the remaining clauses will remain in force.

Promoter: Royal Society of Chemistry, Thomas Graham House, Cambridge Science Park, Cambs, CB4 0WF.
 
Kindle devices are given away on behalf of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Amazon.eu SARL is not a sponsor of this contest.

It’s been a while since I last blogged, and with good reason! I have busy putting together the RSC’s theme for 2014: Chemistry and Art.
 
The National Gallery Faces of Chemistry videos, which were released in January, were the first offering. These three videos each focus on a different chemical technique: microscopy, SEM-EDX and chromatography, each looking at the Portrait of Alexander Mornauer. The various techniques have been used to examine the history of the painting and discover that the blue background present when the painting was purchased by the National Gallery, London, was in fact added 300 years after the portrait was originally painted! Watch these videos find out how the scientists at the National Gallery discovered this! Master of the Mornauer Portrait, Portrait of Alexander Mornauer, about 1464-88, oil on wood, 45.2 x 38.7 cm.  The image on the left shows the painting as it looked when it entered the collection in the early 1990s and the image on the right shows how it looks now, after cleaning. © National Gallery, London

The next release for Chemistry and Art is that of Ionic Magazine whose latest edition has been developed in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry. I’ll let Ionic Magazine explain its focus:

In each issue, Ionic Magazine will publish recent scientific developments within many areas of science that include medicine, nanotechnology, biotechnology, psychology, astronomy alongside many others. These will be current in the literature, and provide a platform for science writers, whether established in their careers, just beginning or perhaps experimenting their capabilities at science communication, to rant and rave about exciting developments within their particular expertise or interests. Beside each article will lay an artist’s representation of that very story. No graph, no figure, no formulae, instead a piece of art constructed from personal interpretation and not scientific representation. They will leave the reader asking more than can be answered. The ultimate goal: a stunning and stimulating collaboration of two traditionally contrasting worlds.

This edition focuses on the recent developments in RSC journals in the field on scientific and conservation discoveries around various types of art. The stories are deftly told without the technical difficulty of the original paper and the images are intriguing representations of the written content – make of them what you will!

We are also developing new educational content of the chemistry behind art, starting with prehistoric cave paintings all the way through to Impressionism. This will be released in batches throughout the year on Learn Chemistry and eventually all will be presented through our new, coming soon, Chemistry and Art microsite! Cave art coming soon!
 
Throughout the year departments around the RSC will be tailoring their content to fit with the Chemistry and Art theme. Our Cambridge Science Festival and Big Bang Fair stands will be colour themed, EiC and The Mole will have articles relating to Chemistry and Art (January’s Mole already has the story of the Portrait of Alexander Mornauer) and Chemistry World will have a special issue later this year. Thursday’s monthly public lecture at Burlington House sees Helen Storey and Tony Ryan in conversation discussing their Extreme Collaboration. Sold out, it will be streamed live and available after the event – hopefully on Learn Chemistry too!