Overwhelmed by the available chemistry resources? Looking for new chemistry teaching ideas? Elementary Articles is the place for chemistry, education, and everything else.

Elementary Articles is the official blog for the RSC's Learn Chemistry – your home for chemistry education resources and activities.

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Archive for July, 2014
We’re really excited about a new resource which arrived in our office last week- Elements Top TrumpsTM!

You can use the Top TrumpsTM as a fun way to introduce the elements in the periodic table. In the game, players compare numerical properties of the elements. Each of the 30 cards represents an element, and we’ve chosen a mix of common and lesser-known elements for the pack. Each card has data on the element’s melting point, density, price, discovery date and the size of the atom. The cards also have fascinating facts about the elements, illustrated by an image of a use of the element.
 
The game is recommended for children aged 7-14, and can be played by two or more players. We’ve produced the cards in partnership with Winning Moves Ltd, the official makers of Top TrumpsTM.
 
The packs are now available to buy in our online shop individually for £6, or as a pack of six for £36. There’s also a discount of 35% for Royal Society of Chemistry members, taking the cost down to £3.90 per pack. 
 
You can get complimentary Royal Society of Chemistry membership through Learn Chemistry partnership, a free programme that connects you and your school with the world's leading chemistry community.
 
We’re also working on producing resources to help teachers use the cards in class. We’re making one set for teachers of the 7-11 age group, and another set for the 11-14 age group. These should be available on Learn Chemistry in time for the start of the new academic year.


Posted by Jenny O'Hare on Jul 30, 2014 9:46 AM BST
After what feels like a long time in the making, at 10 o’clock this morning, our Chemistry and Art Exhibition (that I mentioned in a previous blog) opened its doors to the public and within 5 minutes of doing so we had our first visitors!

Over the weekend we set up and steadily watched two of our rooms in Burlington House transform into gallery spaces.

          


We have a selection of different artworks from a range of different people and ages, including entries from this year's Bill Bryson Prize which came in all shapes and forms from videos to paintings.


          


We are also really pleased to currently have some of the artwork from three of the different artists from the Insight Radical project in Melbourne, Australia in our possession for these two weeks. 

          


The last sections shown in the photos above are a selection of some of the beautiful images from the 'Through the Lens' feature in our Chemistry World magazine and also some of the work from the ChemArt project down in Bristol ChemLabS outreach department. ChemArt is a really interesting activity where images of scientists’ work, e.g. microscopy images, are sent around to primary schools as a stimulus for creative writing and here at the exhibition we have some of the poetry as well as the corresponding images on display.

 

 

 

The exhibition is in our London building at Burlington House, Piccadilly and is open every weekday for the next two weeks from 10 am to 4 pm and is free entry so why not come along and see it for yourself!

Warning: this exhibition could change your perception of chemistry forever.

 

 

Posted by Geri Kitley on Jul 14, 2014 4:53 PM BST
The new draft A-level chemistry specifications have recently been published and there have been substantial changes to the contribution and assessment of practical work.
 
In the case of AQA, a separate endorsement of practical work will be awarded to candidates and written papers will assess the knowledge, understanding and skills exemplified by 12 key practical areas.
(See http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/specifications/AQA-7405-SP-2015.PDF)
 
The OCR specification contains a defined practical skills module which learners are supposed to complete over the duration of the course. OCR has identified Practical Activity Groups (PAGs) that can contribute to the separate practical endorsement.  
(See http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-chemistry-a-h032-h432-from-2015/)
 
We have mapped these against the resources available on Learn Chemistry so that you can quickly identify suitable practical activities for your needs.
AQA OCR Learn Chemistry resource
 Make up a volumetric solution and carry out a simple acid–base titration Acid base titration http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000536/a-microscale-acid-base-neutralisation
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000432/titration-of-sodium-hydroxide-with-hydrochloric-acid
 
Note: look out for the RSC titration interactive screen experiment in 2015
Measurement of an enthalpy change
 
Enthalpy determination http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000740/exothermic-or-endothermic
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000126/afl-how-can-enthalpy-changes-be-measured
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000437/heating-copper-ii-sulfate
Investigation of how the rate of a reaction changes with
Temperature
  http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000448/the-effect-of-temperature-on-reaction-rate
 
Carry out simple test-tube reactions to identify cations and anions
in aqueous solution
 
Qualitative analysis of ions http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000464/testing-salts-for-anions-and-cations
 
 Distillation of a product from a reaction
 
  http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000754/the-fractional-distillation-of-crude-oil
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000692/extracting-limonene-from-oranges
Tests for alcohol, aldehyde, alkene and carboxylic acid
 
Qualitative analysis of organic functional groups http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000549/the-formation-of-solid-derivatives-of-aldehydes-and-ketones-using-24-dinitrophenylhydrazine-bradys-test
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000553/the-oxidation-of-alcohols
Measuring the rate of reaction:
• by an initial rate method
• by a continuous monitoring method
Rates of reaction – continuous monitoring and initial rates methods http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000449/the-effect-of-concentration-on-reaction-rate
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000744/iodine-clock-reaction
Measuring the EMF of an electrochemical cell
 
Electrochemical cells http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000391/accumulator
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00001158/kitchen-potential
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00001290/make-a-gratzel-cell
Investigate how pH changes when a weak acid reacts with a
strong base and when a strong acid reacts with a weak base
 
  http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00001457/acid-base-solutions
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000703/indicators-and-dry-ice-demonstration
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000422/making-a-ph-indicator
 
Note: look out for the RSC titration interactive screen experiment in 2015
Preparation of:
• a pure organic solid and test of its purity
• a pure organic liquid
 
Synthesis of an organic solid and liquid http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000543/observing-the-lowering-of-a-melting-point
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000287/aspirin
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000056/aspirin
 
Note: look out for the RSC aspirin interactive screen experiment to be launched for the new 2014/15 academic year
Carry out simple test-tube reactions to identify transition metal
ions in aqueous solution
 
  http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000472/properties-of-the-transition-metals-and-their-compounds
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000757/reactions-of-positive-ions-with-sodium-hydroxide-microscale-version
Separation of species by thin-layer chromatography
 
  http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000455/smarties-chromatography
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00001301/chromatography
 
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000291/chemistry-masterclass
  Moles determination
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000452/the-volume-of-1-mole-of-hydrogen-gas
 
  pH measurement
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000405/testing-the-ph-of-oxides
 
 
To help improve student practical skills and understanding, we have been busy designing an Aspirin synthesis Interactive Screen Experiment (planned release  for the new 2014/15 academic year).  This exciting new resource will enable students to carry out an aspirin synthesis experiment, to purify and analyse their product, and investigate the effect of changing reaction conditions. The students will also get a unique online notebook to save and record their results.

 

By:
Simon Rees, chemistry teaching fellow at Durham University.
Lee Page, Royal Society of Chemistry education executive.







Posted by Lee Page on Jul 11, 2014 2:01 PM BST
You might have heard about the RSC Teacher Training Scholarships. We’re offering a £25,000 tax-free bursary, and a great support package, to people with the potential to become exceptional chemistry teachers. If you, or someone you know, are starting a teacher training course in September, you can still apply for a scholarship until Sunday 27th July.

Everything you need to know about applying for a scholarship can be found on our website . We’re looking for people who will be great chemistry teachers, and also great ambassadors for the RSC. That means we want people with excellent chemistry knowledge, who are committed to teaching and who have the personal attributes to be a good classroom teacher. We do have some criteria that applicants must meet, so make sure you’re eligible before you apply.  

The application process is straightforward: fill in an application form online, telling us about your background and why you’d make a great chemistry teacher. We’ll invite the best candidates to attend an assessment day on Friday 15th August in London. Watch this video to find out more about the process.

Supporting our scholars

Our scholars get lots of support throughout the year, as well as lots of RSC goodies to start them off. They have an expert teacher mentor who arranges meetings throughout the year, and have the chance to attend a bespoke Continuing Professional Development course, designed especially for our scholars. They also get free RSC membership for two years.

Our first group of scholars are coming to the end of their training courses now, and finding jobs up and down the country. Congratulations to all of them, and we’re looking forward to welcoming our new scholars later in the year!
Posted by Elizabeth McLoughlin on Jul 3, 2014 10:46 AM BST