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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The Global Experiment 2014: the art of crystallisation is proving a real success. But credit for this success must be shared with all the teachers, parents and the participants themselves – thank you, and please keep submitting your data.


How to take part in the global experiment
 
The experiment is simple to do as it uses non-specialised equipment and readily available materials. It is ideal for students aged 7-16 as they can investigate the properties of five samples by dissolving, saturating and growing crystals. The experiment has been running for 4 months around the world in schools, homes, science centres and science clubs.
The experiment is available here http://rsc.li/ge2014 and will remain open to new data. So whether you have taken part already or not, have a go and don’t forget to post to our website. So far we have recorded over 12,000 participants across 4 different continents from Miami to Taiwan.
 
One of the best parts of the experiment is the ability to share and discuss your results. Use #globalexperiment on Twitter to share your experiment highlights. This is a great way to share your experiences of the Global Experiment as Ruth Lowe, a teacher from Old Lady’s Catholic College in Lancaster, recently did, following her trip to Uganda:
 
"Experiment data from Uganda
 
We took the alum and the magnesium sulphate with us on the plane but were not allowed to take the potassium nitrate due to its oxidising properties. A student in Kampala bought this for us and put it on the bus to Nyamirama - which is way out in the middle of nowhere.

We conducted the experiment in a laboratory which had just been built - it was therefore, the first time the students at Poullart Des Places Secondary School had used the new laboratory. The students were very conscientious and patient, and were particularly amazed at the amount of sugar which dissolved in the water. They were very pleased to receive their certificates and now proudly display their experiment pictures on the laboratory wall. It is so good to be able to carry out an experiment with basic equipment anywhere in the world”



The Global Experiments are designed to be accessible everywhere and this year we have provided video commentaries and translated instructions in five languages to help even more people take part.
 
So far, when you consider the likely errors due to the non-specialised equipment, the consistency and patterns in the data are looking very good. But don’t trust me – see for yourself! http://rsc.li/ge2014
 
We want to hear from you – do you like the global experiments and have ideas for the future?
 
The success of these collaborative experiments has been so good that we are very keen to do more. Next year’s theme is the International Year of Light and we will shortly be looking to develop a new global experiment. So if any of this has inspired you, whether is it light related or not, we know we do best when we partner with others. So whoever you are, if you have ideas get in touch with us at learn-chemistry@rsc.org.
Posted by Lee Page on Aug 22, 2014 12:56 PM BST
This year, to make our Global Experiment truly global, we’ve produced translations of the instructions. They’re available on Learn Chemistry in ArabicChinese (Simplified)FrenchPortuguese (Brazil) and Russian, to help students around the world answer the question:

What are the best conditions for growing the biggest crystals?
Quais as melhores condições para produzir os maiores cristais?
Quelles sont les conditions idéales favorisant l’obtention des cristaux les plus gros?

什么条件下才能培植出最大的晶体?
Каковы наилучшие условия для выращивания самых больших кристаллов?

ما أفضل الظروف المواتية لتكوين بلورات أكبر؟


We’ve also added subtitles to the ‘How to’ video. To access these, click the caption icon and select your language. The majority of the users of Learn Chemistry are based outside the UK, and these translations are one way that we’re working to support our international users.
 
If you speak any of these languages, or know someone who does, please spread the word – we’re keen to get as many international participants as we can. 
 
YouTube isn’t available in China, so our team in China have added the video to YouKu, the Chinese equivalent, complete with a voiceover. Here’s Lee speaking Mandarin!

Posted by Jenny O'Hare on Aug 6, 2014 1:08 PM BST
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
More news from the Learn Chemistry development team. We've been busy on visible and not-so-visible improvements, which went live last week. 
 
  • Learn Chemistry has a new flatter, cleaner, design. We'll soon be making slight adjustments to this design, and expanding it across our range of learn chemistry sites (including Faces of Chemistry, Online Experimentation, and our Periodic Table).
  • The homepage has some new features, including faster access to our websites in a dedicated list, a focus on our users (students, teachers, and Higher Education), a simpler highlights panel, and a calendar widget to get your On this day in Chemistry fix.
  • Simplified search and browse tools. User feedback has shown that resource search or browse results are hard to use or filter. We've acted on that to simplify this experience.
  • We’ve added our PhET partnership to the homepage. Click to view all the chemistry sims produced in collaboration with the lovely folk at UC Boulder.
  • The RNIB audited our site late last year. We've made the first of what we hope will be a series of accessibility improvements.
  • We've squashed a few pesky bugs.
Finally, some housekeeping. Observant readers may have noticed the Elementary Articles blog was unavailable for a few days. Apologies for any disruption, but we're now up and running again.

We hope you enjoy using the new site!

Duncan

Posted by Duncan McMillan on Jun 30, 2014 1:20 PM BST

As you may be aware, our theme for this year is Chemistry and Art with the aim to draw upon the links of the two in demonstrating they are not as far apart as you first think. We’ll be launching our newest website later this month showcasing chemistry and art throughout the ages.

 

As part of the Chemistry and Art project we are hosting and curating an exhibition this summer in London that aims to display different people interpretations of chemistry and art. The exhibition is a free event for the public that will be held in Burlington House, Piccadilly which is the Royal Society of Chemistry's London home and will run from 14th to 25th July from 10 am to 4 pm.

 

We are very excited by the pieces of work that we will be featuring, including work from Insight Radical, Chemart from ChemLabS Bristol Outreach, entries from The Bill Bryson Prize 2014 and images that have featured as part of our 'Through the Lens' feature in our monthly Chemistry World.

 

Insight Radical is an outreach project from Melbourne, Australia which is an "initiative which aims to create dialogue in the broader community about free radicals and their impact" which they achieve by hosting artists within their research laboratories. In this way the artists have been able to learn from the scientists and develop work based on this knowledge and vice versa the scientists have been able to learn about  artwork from the artists. The image below shows a preview of some of the work that we will be showing from Insight Radical at our exhibition.

 

 

The Pill Portraits by Anna Madeleine

 

 

This year’s theme for the Bill Bryson prize was linked with the chemistry and art theme asking the students 'Where is the science in art? Where is the art in science?', to which we had over 500 entries. We are very pleased to be able to show some of the entries from this year’s competition.

 

We will also be presenting some of Bristol ChemLabS Chemart which is "an activity using chemistry research images as stimuli for children's poetry or prose" organised by the science outreach department at Bristol University, ChemLabS. We will be displaying both some of the images and some of the creative writing that primary school students have produced from it.

 

Remember, entry to this  event is free, so why not come along and see the beauty in chemistry and the science in art!

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

Posted by Geri Kitley on Jun 12, 2014 3:32 PM BST
If you have been reading Education in Chemistry recently you may be aware that we have been developing a series of new courses for teachers. The Developing expertise in teaching chemistry courses have online and face-to-face components designed to complement each other.
 
Today we are launching Quantitative chemistry, the first online course in our new series, which covers topics such as conservation of mass, chemical equations, understanding the mole and titrations. This  course can be accessed free of charge, for a limited time, all you need to do is create a RSC ID when prompted. We asked some teachers to take a sneak peek of the course and we are very pleased with the feedback, Dr. Debbie Moore from Weatherhead High School described it as; "An invaluable teacher and teaching resource; easy-to-use, informative and inspiring".
 
 
Screenshot from the new Quantitative chemistry online CPD for teachers course
 
The Developing expertise in teaching chemistry series will be composed of 14 courses, each one designed to consider how students’ ideas about a particular area of chemistry develop and in doing so identify and address specific student misconceptions.
We will follow the launch of Quantitative chemistry with four more online courses throughout 2014. The face-to-face versions of the courses are also undergoing a phased launch throughout 2014 and 2015.
 
We have focused on developing online courses, as well as face-to-face, as we know that it is not always easy to find time to attend courses in person. While an online course cannot replace face-to-face training there are a number of advantages. These include being able to dip in and out of content at your own pace and the flexibility to try out strategies and activities in your own classroom while working through the course. Our online courses are globally relevant and accessible to all.
 
Visit the new homepage for the Developing expertise in chemistry series or go directly to the Quantitative chemistry page to get started today. As always we love to hear from you so if you have any feedback please get in touch at learn-chemistry@rsc.org.
 

Posted by Stephanie Musson on Jun 2, 2014 10:41 AM BST
It is my pleasure to share the latest experiment on Learn Chemistry: The Global Experiment 2014.
 
Due to high demand we have grown our Global Experiment portfolio. This year the Global Experiment 2014 is themed ‘the art of crystallisation’.



By taking part you will get participants learning about dissolving, saturation and crystal growth. We have provided thorough instruction packs, lesson plans and a ‘how to video’ so we have made life as simple as possible when planning to take part.
 
The aim of the experiment is a compare your data with those around the world to see if there is a difference regionally or internationally in the size or shape of your crystals.
 
Taking part is simple as the experiment uses non-specialised equipment. It allows you to compare the difference between five readily available samples. But don’t worry if you do have trouble sourcing all the samples you can still take part with less.
 
This year we really want to maximise the feeling of collaboration when taking part in the experiment and so have added several new features to the data posting page:
  • The ‘how to video’ now contains captions for international users
  • Twitter is retained so please tell us about your experiment
  • There is a new social media feature – a Pinterest carousel. So if you submit a picture along with your data you could feature on the RSC Global Experiment website. We hope to get lots of really artistic crystal images and happy participants
  • This year we really want to push to global nature of the experiment and so have teamed up with the International Union of Crystallography. Together and with this experiment we hope everyone can take part in the International year of crystallography.
 Please take part and don’t forget to post your data to help make this another really successful Global Experiment.
Note the Global Experiment 2014 and 2013 will remain open to data posting for the foreseeable future so you can plan this into your lessons accordingly.
 
Please also regularly check the Collaborative Chemistry website as we regularly update this page with other experiments and citizen science activities selected from around the Web to help you Learn Chemistry.






Posted by Lee Page on May 30, 2014 5:39 PM BST
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