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Crocodilia for Crocodile Chemistry

Crocodile Chemistry screenshot
Crocodilia for Crocodile Chemistry is a suite of learning resources and learning activities to be used along with Crocodile Clips: Crocodile Chemistry.

In order to use Crocodilia for Crocodile Chemistry, you must have Crocodile Clips: Crocodile Chemistry installed on your local computer.

The learning activities make use of the simulated chemistry laboratory where you can model experiments and reactions safely and easily. In Crocodile Chemistry you can:

  • choose from 63 lesson topics
  • watch provided simulations
  • choose quantities and concentrations
  • simulate real-life examples
  • graph data in real time using the powerful graph tool
  • experiment using the simulator in the virtual lab.

All state-funded secondary schools in Scotland were provided with a copy of the Crocodile Clips: Crocodile Chemistry application on CD and this application will need to be installed to make use of these resources.

Access to this resource is restricted to authenticated users of Glow.

Links to individual resources

The following resources from Crocodilia are available for authenticated users of Glow to view: 

  • Acid Rain and Building Materials

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know the difference between rain and acid rain; To know what the two acids are that make up acid rain; To know some examples of elements and compounds that are used as building materials; To know the effect of acid rain on building materials; To understand which acid causes the greatest damage to buildings and know some ideas of how it can be reduced.

  • Acid Rain and the Environment

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know and understand some of the effects of ‘acid rain’ on the environment.

  • Acid Reactions

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate and summarise the reactions of acids with metals, bases and carbonates.

  • Ammonia

    This activity covers the following objectives: The preparation of ammonia; The main chemical properties of ammonia; The use of ammonia to make ammonium nitrate, an important fertiliser.

  • Back Titration

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn the concept of ‘back titration’ and apply it to the analysis of a mixture of calcium oxide and silicon dioxide.Students will also gain experience of calculations involving the mole concept.

  • Buffer Solutions

    A demonstration showing the characteristics of buffer solutions. Shows the production of a buffer solution and demonstrates the behaviour around the half-equivalence point during titration.

  • Burning

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know that oxides are formed when substances burn in air or oxygen; The greater the concentration of oxygen the faster (more intense) the burning; Burning or combustion is limited by the amount of ‘fuel’ or oxygen available.

  • Calcium Carbonate and Particle Size

    This activity covers the following objectives: To show how the speed of a chemical reaction changes as the size of one of the reactants changes.

  • Calcium Carbonate Reaction Rate Change

    This activity covers the following objectives: To show how the speed of a chemical reaction changes as the mass of one of the reactants changes; To examine data using graphs; To analyse and evaluate results.

  • Calculating Concentration as a Molarity (I)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To calculate molarity from a given mass or moles of solute and volume of solution.

  • Calculating Concentration as a Molarity (II)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To calculate the mass of solute dissolved given the molarity and volume of a solution; To calculate the mass of solute needed to make up a particular solution.

  • Calculating the Formula Mass of a Compound

    This activity covers the following objectives: To calculate the formula mass of a compound; To interpret a variety of chemical formulae.

  • Catalyst

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn that catalysts can be used to increase the rate of a chemical reaction and that they are not used up in the reaction.They will learn that different catalysts for the same reaction may not be equally effective in speeding up the reaction and that their effectiveness is influenced by the catalyst particle size.

  • Catalysts

    This activity covers the following objectives: To explore how the rates of reactions can be varied using a catalyst.

  • Cells

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will take forward their understanding of voltaic cells.This activity examines variables that may influence the voltage produced by a cell and examines concentration cells.

  • Cells

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should gain understanding of the structure of voltaic cells and of the main factor that determines the voltage produced by the cell.

  • Chemical Formulae and Equations

    This activity covers the following objectives: To be able to read and write a simple chemical formula; To be able to read and write simple chemical word or symbol equations.

  • Chemical Reactions

    This activity covers the following objectives: Recognising chemical reactions.

  • Coloured Compounds

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn that ionic compounds, which consist of a lattice of positive and negative ions, owe their colour to the colours of the ions that make up the lattice.Most ions are colourless, but there are a number of common coloured ions, which result in compounds containing these ions being coloured.

  • Combination reactions

    A demonstration showing a variety of simple combination reactions. Shows that in such reactions, two elements are mixed and heated, if necessary, to start the reaction. Demonstrates that the product is a binary compound - that is, a compound containing just two elements.

  • Combustion

    A demonstration showing that combustion reactions always involve combinations of a substance with oxygen, accompanied by the release of heat and light. Shows that the product of a combustion reaction always has a greater mass than the reactant.

  • Combustion

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn that combustion always involves the combination of a substance with oxygen and that a fuel, a supply of heat, and oxygen are all necessary for combustion to take place.They should also recognise that combining with oxygen is not combustion, unless heat is produced in the reaction.

  • Comparing Gases, Liquids and Solids

    This activity covers the following objectives: A revision comparison of the physical properties of gases, liquids and solids; A revision of the particle models for a gas, a liquid and a solid.

  • Concentration and Rate of Reaction

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know how rate of reaction can be monitored; To understand how concentration affects the rate of reaction.

  • Copper Oxide and Ammonia

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will gain experience of writing chemical equations and of carrying out calculations relating quantities of reactants and products in the context of a redox reaction.

  • Copper Sulfate: Reversibility of Dehydration

    This activity covers the following objectives: To show that reactions can be reversed; To show that if heat is used in one direction, it will release when going in the opposite direction.

  • Creating the Reactivity Series

    This activity covers the following objectives: To study the reactions of three metals with oxygen in the air, water and acid in order to generate part of the Reactivity Series; To generate general equations for metals reacting with oxygen, water and acid.

  • Decomposition

    Examples of thermal decomposition reactions using metals which are low in the Electrochemical Series. The reaction products are identified for each example. Themes common to all thermal decomposition reactions are considered.

  • Different Indicators

    This activity covers the following objectives: To understand what an indicator can be used for; To know that a number of indicators are available; To understand that each indicator has its own colour changes and uses; To understand why universal indicator is so useful.

  • Dilution of Acids and Alkalis

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should gain knowledge of the effect of dilution on acids and alkalis, and the degree of dilution required to change the pH by one pH unit.

  • Displacement

    A demonstration showing that a more reactive metal will displace a less reactive metal from its compound. Shows that in a REDOX reaction, the more reactive metal is oxidised (loses electrons), while the metal ion in the compound is reduced (gains electrons). Demonstrates that displacement reactions can only be completed in solution or in the solid state, and that solid state displacement can only occur if the mixture is heated.

  • Displacement Reactions

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should gain an understanding of displacement reactions and should be able to relate the occurrence of displacement reactions to the relative positions of the metals involved to their relative positions in the Electrochemical Series (ECS).They should also be able to write ion–electron equations for the reactions involved and identify the reactions as oxidation or reduction.

  • Displacement Reactions and Redox

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate displacement reactions and to construct a reactivity series; To explain reduction and oxidation in terms of gain and loss of electrons; To identify displacement as a redox process and write equations involving electrons to illustrate this; To identify patterns and use chemical knowledge to predict the results of experiments.

  • Displacement Reactions of Metals (1)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know that a more reactive metal will displace a less reactive metal from one of its compounds; To be able to predict the outcome of reacting a metal with the compound of another metal using the displacement rule.

  • Displacement Reactions of Metals (2)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know that displacement reactions can be used to extract metals from their ores; To know that different technologies can be applied to metal extraction; To know that not all methods of metal extraction are economic.

  • Displacement Reactions of Metals (3)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know different methods of extracting a metal using displacement reactions, including the use of a smelter or furnace; To appreciate that the process may be multi-stage but must be as economic as possible.

  • Effect of Concentration on Rate of Reaction (1)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate the reaction between calcium carbonate and dilute hydrochloric acid; To measure the rate of reaction by plotting the volume of gas evolved with time; To deduce the effect of varying the concentration on the rate of the reaction; To explain the effect in terms of kinetic particle theory.

  • Effect of Concentration on Rate of Reaction (2)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate the reaction between calcium carbonate and dilute hydrochloric acid; To measure the initial rate of the reaction by graphical methods; To calculate the rate using different concentrations of acid; To find a quantitative relationship between concentration and rate of reaction; Use the relationship to predict the rate of reaction using another concentration of acid.

  • Effect of Particle Size on Reaction Rate

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should be able to state that, in a reaction involving a solid reactant, the smaller the particles of solid, the faster the reaction.Students should also gain understanding of the need to control variables.

  • Effect of Surface Area on Reaction Rate (2)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To understand how the rates of reactions can be altered by changing the surface area of a solid reactant.

  • Effect on Rate of Reaction of Varying Surface Area (1)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To measure the rate of reaction between calcium carbonate and dilute hydrochloric acid; To calculate the rate of reaction when different samples of calcium carbonate are used; To use the data to draw a valid conclusion; To explain the conclusion in terms of kinetic particle theory.

  • Electrochemical Cells

    A demonstration showing that when two half-cells are connected with a salt bridge and a wire, a current will flow through the circuit.

  • Electrolysis of Lead Bromide

    A demonstration showing that lead bromide is an ionic compound and can conduct electricity when the ions are free to move - either molten or in aqueous solution. Despite lead bromide and the products of this reaction being hazardous, it is often used to show electrolysis of a molten ionic compound. This is because lead bromide has a relatively low melting point.

  • Electrolysis of Sulfuric Acid

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will gain experience of quantitative electrolysis in the context of the electrolysis of a dilute solution of sulfuric acid.

  • Electrolysis of water

    A demonstration showing that some compounds can be decomposed into their elements using electricity, in a process called electrolysis. Demonstrates the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen and oxygen, the ratio at which these gases are produced, and methods to test for each gas.

  • Electron Arrangements and the Formulae of Compounds

    This activity covers the following objectives: To examine the way an element’s position in the Periodic Table influences the formulae of its compounds; To use this relationship to predict the formulae of unknown compounds and test these predictions using the simulator.

  • Elements, Compounds, Mixtures, and Changing State

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know the difference between elements, compounds, and mixtures; To know that when a substance changes state, the temperature remains constant; Elements and compounds have a set boiling point, whereas mixtures boil over a range of temperatures.

  • Empirical Formula (I)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To deduce an empirical formula from experimental data; To deduce the equation of the synthesis of a compound from its constituent elements.

  • Endothermic reactions

    A demonstration of two reactions that are endothermic. One reaction involves substances dissolving - the process takes in heat from the surroundings and therefore the temperature falls. The other reaction requires heat to be supplied from a heat source such as a Bunsen burner.

  • Energy Changes in Reactions (1)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate the energy changes occurring during displacement reactions; To use energy changes to construct a table of reactivity; To explain the energy changes in terms of bond breaking and bond making.

  • Energy Changes in Reactions (2)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate a series of reactions and measure the temperature change that accompanies them; To note the link between temperature change and energy (enthalpy) change; To identify the reactions as being exothermic or endothermic; To extrapolate a graph of temperature change with time to estimate the maximum temperature change, in order to compensate for heat loss.

  • Energy Transfer in Reactions 1

    This activity covers the following objectives: To carry out a series of reactions between acid and metals; To measure the temperature changes during the reactions; To consider the criteria for a fair test; To use the results to place the metals in order of their reactivity.

  • Enthalpies of Solution

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn that the addition of ionic compounds to water is usually accompanied by energy changes, and should reinforce their ability to calculate the energy changes in ivolved.

  • Enthalpy of Neutralisation

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn that the total enthalpy change for a chemical reaction is independent of the route to the final products. This is a statement of Hess’s Law of Constant Heat Summation and will be illustrated using the neutralisation reaction between hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.

  • Everyday Uses of Acids and Alkalis

    This activity covers the following objectives: Basic revision of acid-alkali neutralisation and simple use of indicators; How to apply this knowledge to everyday chemistry including hazards and the weak/strong concept.

  • Excess

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn that, when a reaction takes place, the extent of reaction is determined by the quantity of reactant with the fewest number of moles, taking account of the mole ratio shown by a balanced formula equation.

  • Excess Reactant

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will gain experience of carrying out calculations involving the mole and balanced equations, in a context where one reactant is provided in excess.

  • Exothermic reactions

    A demonstration showing that some chemical reactions give out heat. Shows the result of adding a variety of compounds to water, and observing the resulting change in temperature.

  • Extracting Copper From Ore

    This activity covers the following objectives: To show that some metals can be won from their ores at fairly low temperatures; To show that this is possibly how copper was discovered, leading to the copper and bronze age.

  • Extraction of a Metal from its Ore

    This activity covers the following objectives: Use properties of metal oxides and reactivity to simulate the extraction of a metal from its ore.

  • Flame Tests

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know the flame colours of certain metal ions.

  • Flame tests

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn that certain metals have the ability to colour Bunsen flames and that this can be used to identify unknown metals.

  • Fractional Distillation

    This activity covers the following objectives: To build a working model and to simulate the separation of a mixture using fractional distillation; To learn about the industrial separation of crude oil.

  • Glucose and Ethanol

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn about some aspects of the chemistry of glucose.They will learn that glucose can be converted to ethanol.They will learn that ethanol can be separated from water by distillation.

  • Group 1 Chlorides

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should develop the ability to use balanced chemical equations to calculate the mass of a product formed or a reactant consumed in a chemical reaction.

  • Hazards

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn to associate particular hazard symbols with particular types of chemical hazard.

  • Heating Curves

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate how temperature changes when a substance is heated past its boiling point; To simulate the effect of impurities on the boiling point of a liquid.

  • Heating Elements in Oxygen

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate the products of combustion of metals and non-metals; To draw conclusions about the acidic and basic nature of combustion products.

  • Heating Metal Oxides

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn that some metal oxides are sufficiently unstable to be decomposed to metal and oxygen by heat alone.They should be able to correlate this property to the position of the metal in the Electrochemical Series.

  • Hess’s Law

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will gain experience in the application of Hess’s Law of Constant Heat Summation.

  • Identification of Ions 1

    This activity covers the following objectives: To simulate the results of the flame test; To simulate the results of the sodium hydroxide test for positive ions.

  • Identification of Ions 2

    This activity covers the following objectives: To simulate the results of the halide test; To simulate the results of the sulfate test.

  • Identifying Unknown Compounds

    This activity covers the following objectives: To carry out a series of experiments that will identify each of four unknown substances.

  • Identifying Unknown Compounds 2

    This activity covers the following objectives: To carry out a series of experiments that will identify each of four unknown substances.

  • Indicators

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn that different indicators change colour over different pH ranges.Students will also learn that the range of pH change at the end point in a titration depends on the relative weakness or strength of the acids or alkalis taking part in the reaction. For this reason, it is necessary to select the indicator to be used in a titration carefully, so that the pH range of the colour change matches that of the pH change at the end point.

  • Investigating Energy Changes in Reactions

    This activity covers the following objectives: To be able to recognise whether a reaction is chemical or physical; To understand that when physical and chemical reactions occur, energy changes are associated with them; To be able to recognise whether a reaction is exothermic or endothermic from temperature data; To know the observations which lead to a reaction appearing to be exothermic.

  • Looking at Chemical Changes

    This activity covers the following objectives: To be able to distinguish between physical and chemical changes; To recognise signs of a chemical change from observations; To apply chemical reaction knowledge in a problem-solving situation, including identifying chemical substances.

  • Making a Simple Cell

    A demonstration showing the production of a simple electrochemical cell. Introduces the concept of dynamic equilibrium, and shows that by having two separate dynamic equilibriums between two different metals and their salts, a simple cell can be made.

  • Making and collecting soluble gases

    A demonstration showing what happens when we attempt to collect a soluble gas over water, and introduces an alternative method of collection such gases. Ammonia is used as the gas in this example.

  • Making and Testing Hydrogen

    A demonstration showing the reaction of metals with acids to produce a metal salt and hydrogen. Shows the significance of the position of the metal within the reactivity series.

  • Making and Testing Oxygen

    A demonstration showing the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide with a catalyst such as manganese dioxide.

  • Making Cells in Chemistry

    This activity covers the following objectives: To understand that when two metals immersed in a salt solution are connected, a voltage is produced; To know that the further the metals are from each other on the Reactivity Series, the greater the voltage; To know that if the two samples of the same metal are immersed, no voltage is produced; To be able to predict whether a cell will produce a high, low or no voltage; To know that this type of reaction is present in cells and batteries used in everyday life.

  • Making Copper

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn how to make copper from copper carbonate, and how to prove that the product is copper.

  • Making Hydrogen

    A demonstration showing that some metals react with an acid to produce hydrogen and a metal salt. Shows that this hydrogen can be collected under displacement and tested using a lighted splint.

  • Making Iron in a Blast Furnace

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn the main features of the chemistry of iron production in a blast furnace.

  • Making Magnesium Oxide

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will be reminded of a method for preparing oxygen, the test for oxygen, and the reaction of magnesium with oxygen.

  • Making Sulfur Chlorides (1)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To construct word and symbol equations for the formation of a compound from its elements; To appreciate that chemistry can provide desirable technological development but health and safety issues must be taken into consideration.

  • Making Sulfur Chlorides (2)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To understand the process of distillation in terms of energy and state changes; To appreciate that fractional distillation is a very important technique for the separation of liquid mixtures in industry.

  • Making Useful Soluble Salts

    This activity covers the following objectives: To understand simple formulae and write word equations; To know how to make soluble salts by two different methods; To know that salts are useful compounds.

  • Mass Changes During Chemical Reactions

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate the mass changes when elements combine with oxygen; To investigate the mass changes during metal–metal salt reactions; To investigate the mass changes when metal carbonates decompose; To reinforce the fact that mass is conserved during chemical reactions.

  • Mass Changes in Chemical Reactions

    This activity covers the following objectives: To understand that atoms are not created or destroyed in chemical reactions, they are just rearranged; To know that mass is conserved in chemical reactions; To understand that mass would remain constant in a closed system; To understand that mass may appear to change during a chemical reaction in an open system; To be able to explain why mass has changed in a chemical reaction.

  • Measuring the Energy Change in a Chemical Reaction

    This activity covers the following objectives: To measure the temperature change when a strong acid reacts with a strong alkali; To introduce the idea of the ionic equation for neutralisation; To allow the student to automatically calculate the actual energy change for the reaction.

  • Metal Carbonates and Acids

    A demonstration showing the reaction of metal carbonates with an acid. Shows that in the neutralisation reaction, salt, water and carbon dioxide are produced. Demonstrates tests for the presence of these products.

  • Metal Reactions

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn the common reactions of a fairly reactive metal with water, dilute acid, and oxygen.They will also gain experience in writing balanced equations to describe these reactions.

  • Metal Reactivity: Its Effects and Consequences

    This activity covers the following objectives: Understanding the Reactivity Series; How metals react with oxygen, water and acid.

  • Metals and Chlorine

    This activity covers the following objectives: To revise what toxic means; To know that chlorine gas is toxic; To know that metals can react with chlorine gas in a chemical reaction.

  • Mixing Acids and Alkalis

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know how pH can be measured without using an indicator; To draw and interpret graphs of pH data accurately; To appreciate contexts where pH data can be used in research analysis and monitoring a changing situation.

  • Molar Volume of Gases

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn about some of the fundamental properties of gases. In particular, they will gain understanding of the relationship that links the volumes of gases to the number of moles of gas present and the number of molecules of gas present.

  • Molar Volume of Hydrogen

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will reinforce their understanding of the concept of molar volume of gases in the context of the reaction between hydrochloric acid and metals.Students will also gain further experience in carrying out calculations involving the mole and in applying the concept of molar volume.

  • Molar Volume of Oxygen

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will reinforce their understanding of the concept of molar volume of gases in the context of a thermal decomposition reaction involving silver oxide.Students will also gain further experience in carrying out calculations involving the mole.

  • Moles Dissolved

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will gain experience of calculations involving the mole, including concentrations in terms of moles / litre. Some of this will be set in a problem-solving context.

  • Monitoring Rate of Reaction

    A demonstration showing methods for monitoring the rate of a reaction. Shows the reaction between calcium carbonate and hydrochloric acid. Includes observation of changes in the reactants (mass loss) and the amount of product made. These changes are tracked over the duration of the reaction using a graph.

  • Neutralisation

    A demonstration showing the techniques of titration and the manipulation of the pipette and burette.

  • Neutralisation (1)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To explore the neutralisation of acids and alkalis.

  • Neutralisation by Titration

    This activity covers the following objectives: Pupils will set up and use a burette and pipette to neutralise an acid and alkali to make a salt which can then be evaporated.They will learn how to name salts.They will see how glassware can be used to very accurately measure liquids.

  • Oxides and Water

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn how oxides of different types affect the pH of water and that not every oxide affects the pH of water.

  • Particles in Elements, Compounds and Mixtures

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know a definition of the terms 'element', 'compound' and 'mixture'; To be able to categorise something as an element, compound or mixture based on the particle diagram; To understand that some mixtures can undergo a chemical change and become a compound, and then they behave as one particle.

  • Percentage Composition and Empirical Formulae

    This activity covers the following objectives: To simulate the reaction of metals with oxygen and measure the accompanying mass changes; To reinforce the concept that when a substance combines with oxygen, it increases in mass; To introduce the idea of heating to constant mass; To use mass measurements to calculate empirical formulae of metal oxides.

  • Percentage Composition by Mass

    This activity covers the following objectives: To calculate the percentage composition by mass of the elements in a compound; To apply percentage composition data to a given situation and make informed decisions.

  • Periodic Table (1)

    This activity covers the following objectives: The properties of the alkali metals; Predicting reactions using the Periodic Table.

  • Periodic Table (2)

    This activity covers the following objectives: Predicting reactions using the Periodic Table.

  • Periodicity in Group 1

    This activity covers the following objectives: To examine the similarities and trends in the reactions of Group 1 elements; To explain these patterns in terms of the electronic structures of the elements.

  • Periodicity in Group 7

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate the physical properties of the Group 7 elements; To explain the trends discovered.

  • Periodicity of Group 7 – Reactions

    This activity covers the following objectives: To examine the chemical reactions of the Group 7 elements; To identify trends in these reactions; To explain the trends in the reactions in terms of the electronic structures of the elements.

  • pH

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn that the pH of a solution depends on the concentration of the chemicals present.

  • pH and pOH

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn the relationship between the concentrations of ions present in a solution and the pH.The concept of pOH will be introduced and the relationship between pH and pOH will be explored.

  • Physical Properties of Liquids

    This activity covers the following objectives: To characterise different liquids by their physical properties; To identify an unknown liquid by its physical properties.

  • Planning an Experiment

    This activity covers the following objectives: To plan an experiment to investigate the effect of increasing concentration on the rate of a reaction; To consider the variables that affect the rate of a reaction; To suggest methods to control variables; To choose a reliable method of measuring the rate of a particular reaction; To suggest a suitable range of values for the variable under investigation.

  • Precipitation reactions

    A demonstration showing what happens during precipitation reactions when two solutions react to form products that include an insoluble substance. Atomic animation is used to provide additional explanation.

  • Properties of Covalent Materials

    This activity covers the following objectives: To highlight the characteristic properties associated with covalent substances; To review the process of covalent bonding.

  • Properties of Ionic Materials

    This activity covers the following objectives: To highlight the characteristic properties associated with ionic substances; To review the process of ionic bonding.

  • Properties of Metals and Metal Compounds

    This activity covers the following objectives: To relate the physical properties of metals to their varied uses; To appreciate the uses of some simple chemical reactions of metals and metal compounds.

  • Rate Apparatus

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will develop understanding of the importance of experimental design in the context of a simple experiment on reaction rates.

  • Rate of Reaction Simulation

    This activity covers the following objectives: To simulate the real problems associated with simple rates experiments; To identify poor data and exclude it from the analysis; To comment upon the reliability of an experiment; To analyse data and identify patterns.

  • Reacting Masses

    This activity covers the following objectives: The mass of products formed from a given mass of reactant.The mass of reactants needed to produce a required amount of substance.

  • Reaction

    This activity covers the following objectives: In this activity, students will learn how to recognise a chemical reaction. They will be shown typical chemical reactions, as well as processes that are not chemical reactions.

  • Reaction of Magnesium with Water

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know that magnesium will react with water; To know that magnesium reacts with water to produce hydrogen; To know a test for hydrogen; To know that the products of magnesium reacting with steam are different from the metal reacting with cold water.

  • Reaction Rates

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will be made aware that the rate of a reaction can be measured in a number of different ways.Students will learn that the different methods may not be equally good.Students will learn how to reach a decision on the most appropriate method to choose.

  • Reactions of the Alkali Metals

    This activity covers the following objectives: To revise the bonding in metals; To investigate the reaction of Group I metals with water; To compare the reactivity of sodium and potassium and explain the observed trend in terms of ease of electron loss; To investigate the properties of potassium hydroxide solution; To neutralise a sample of potassium hydroxide by titration.

  • Reactions Rates: Calcium Carbonate and Acid

    This activity covers the following objectives: To show how the speed of a chemical reaction changes as the concentration of one of the reactants changes; To examine data using graphs; To analyse and evaluate results.

  • Reactivity of Metals

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn that metals can be organised according to their rate of reaction with acids.The rate of reaction with acids can be linked to their position in the Reactivity Series relative to that of hydrogen.

  • Reactivity Series (1)

    This activity covers the following objectives: Learn about the reactions of metals with water.

  • Reactivity Series (2)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To learn about the reactions of metals with a dilute acid.

  • Reactivity Series (3)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To learn about the displacement reactions that take place between metals and solutions of salts of other metals.

  • Reactivity Series and Electricity

    This activity covers the following objectives: To see if electricity is an indication of reactivity.To introduce the idea that reactions are concerned with electron movement, to reinforce reactivity series concepts.

  • Redox

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should consolidate their knowledge of oxidation and reduction, and gain confidence in writing ion–electron equations.

  • Reducing agents

    A demonstration showing that a variety of reducing agents can convert a metal oxide to a metal. Shows that each reducing agent contains an element that combines with oxygen in the metal oxide, leaving the metal.

  • Reduction of Copper Carbonate using Carbon

    A demonstration showing the reaction of copper carbonate with carbon when heated. Shows that copper carbonate initially decomposes to copper oxide, then carbon reacts with the copper oxide in a displacement reaction, liberating pure metal.

  • Reduction of Metal Oxides

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of different reducing agents on metal oxides; To identify reduction and oxidation products of the reactions; To relate the results of the experiments to the industrial methods used to extract metals from their ores.

  • Representing Elements and Compounds

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know the meaning of the words and phrases: atom, compound, molecule, mixture, state symbol, element symbol and chemical symbol; To know the symbols for some of the common elements of the Periodic Table; To recognise the differences between metallic and non-metallic elements.

  • Reversible Reaction with Copper Sulfate

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know that the water of crystallisation can be removed using heat; To know that dehydration of copper sulfate produces a colour change from blue to white; To know that the dehydration of copper sulfate is a reversible reaction.

  • Salt Preparation

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn the four principal methods of preparing salts and be able to write balanced formulae equations for the reactions, as well as word equations.

  • Salt Preparation Methods 1

    This activity covers the following objectives: To use information on solubilities and reactions of acids to prepare samples of salts using standard separation techniques.

  • Salt Preparation Methods 2

    This activity covers the following objectives: To introduce students to the apparatus needed for a titration; To simulate the titration process; To obtain a pure dry sample of a salt using the titration method.

  • Salts of Weak Acids

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will examine the behaviour of weak and strong acids when neutralised by the strong alkali, sodium hydroxide.This will be linked to the observation that salts of weak acids are alkaline.

  • Separation by Distillation

    This activity covers the following objectives: To simulate the separation of a liquid mixture containing a dissolved ionic salt using distillation; To reinforce the particle theory of states of matter; To introduce the arrangement of ions in ionic solids.

  • Separation of a solid from solution

    A demonstration showing how a pure liquid can be separated from a solution of the liquid and a soluble solid by distillation. In this example the solid is iodine.

  • Separation of a soluble solid from a mixture with an insoluble solid

    A demonstration showing that a mixture of two solids can be separated, provided that one of the solids is soluble in water. Shows the techniques of dissolving, filtration and evaporation.

  • Separation of solids from liquids

    A demonstration showing the separation of insoluble solids from a liquid by filtration. Shows the filtration of carbon from water, and the filtration of an insoluble product of a reaction between two solutions.

  • Separation Techniques

    This activity covers the following objectives: To simulate practical methods for separating mixtures.

  • Solid Displacement Reactions

    This activity covers the following objectives: To be able to predict the products of a chemical reaction, using the Reactivity Series; To know that displacement reactions can be in the solid phase; To know real life application of solid displacement reactions; To be able to express chemical reactions in word equations.

  • Solubility

    A demonstration showing what happens when a substance like sodium chloride dissolves, and the clues to when a substance is dissolving.

  • Solubility

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will gain experience in extracting information from data displayed graphically and in carrying out calculations based on graphical data.

  • Solubility Curves

    This activity covers the following objectives: To measure the solubility of potassium nitrate over a range of temperatures; To identify the trend in solubility with increasing temperature; To plot the solubility of potassium nitrate against temperature; To use the graph to estimate the solubility of potassium nitrate at a new temperature.

  • Solving Problems using Methods of Separation

    This activity covers the following objectives: To apply methods of separating mixtures to a waste problem in an engineering company.

  • Solving Problems using Methods of Separation (2)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To analyse and interpret data by graphical means; To use solubility data to simulate an industrial crystallisation process.

  • Some Physical and Chemical Changes

    This activity covers the following objectives: To be able to distinguish between physical and chemical changes; To recognise signs that a chemical change has taken place.

  • Standard Solutions

    This activity covers the following objectives: In this activity, students will learn how to make standard solutions.

  • States of Matter

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate the properties associated with the different states of matter; To use diagrams to represent the different states of matter; To explain the properties of substances in terms of the packing of their particles.

  • Strong Acid and Strong Base Titration

    A demonstration showing the neutralisation of a base with an acid by titration, in order to discover the concentration of one of the solutions.

  • Substances and Mixtures

    This activity covers the following objectives: To recognise elements, compounds or mixtures from particle pictures; To recognise the difference in properties between pure substances and mixtures.

  • Sulfate Analysis

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will gain experience of handling calculations involving the mole concept. The context is an inorganic analysis of a mixture of sodium chloride and magnesium sulfate heptahydrate in order to find the percentage by mass of magnesium sulfate present.

  • Sulfur Dioxide

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will learn some of the chemistry of carbonates and sulfites as well as some of the chemistry of sulfur dioxide.Students will also be introduced to the analogy between the chemistry of these two types of compound and see the role played by sulfur dioxide in the formation of acid rain.

  • The Behaviour of Solids, Liquids and Gases

    This activity covers the following objectives: To use the particle model to explain the behaviour of gases, liquids and solids in a variety of situations.

  • The Formation of Acid Rain

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know that the principal products of burning fossil fuels are water and carbon dioxide; To know that some of the products have undesirable effects on the environment.

  • The Limestone Chemistry Cycle

    This activity covers the following objectives: To familiarise the pupils with the chemistry of limestone.To show how all of the limestone chemicals can be produced.

  • The Mole

    This activity covers the following objectives: To learn the basic working definition of the mole; To practice calculations involving the inter-conversion of moles, mass, and formula mass.

  • The Vocabulary of Mixtures

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know and use a variety of words to do with solutions and separation of mixtures; To recognise which method can be used to separate a particular mixture and the processes involved.

  • Thermal Decomposition

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will extend their understanding of the Electrochemical Series by examining the behaviour of nitrates of metals in different positions of the ECS.They will learn that compounds of metals high in the ECS are relatively stable, and that compounds of metals low in the ECS are much less stable.

  • Thermal Decomposition and Redox

    This activity covers the following objectives: To investigate the action of heat on metal oxides; To identify these reactions as thermal decomposition reactions; To identify the reduction and oxidation products; To relate the ease of thermal decomposition to the metal’s place in the reactivity series; To use carbon as a reducing agent for more reactive metals.

  • Thermal Decomposition and Reduction of Lead Sulfide

    A demonstration showing that some compounds break down into simpler substances using heat. Shows the thermal decomposition of lead sulfide to lead oxide using heat, and the reduction of lead oxide using hydrogen as the reducing agent.

  • Thermal Decomposition of Sodium Hydrogencarbonate

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will examine one experimental method of determining the temperature at which a chemical reaction becomes feasible.Students will also use thermodynamic data to make a theoretical prediction of the temperature and compare the results of the different approaches.

  • Treatment for Indigestion

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know an everyday application of neutralisation; To be able to use indicators to classify solutions as acidic, neutral or alkaline; To use scientific knowledge and understanding to predict what will happen to the pH during neutralisation; To be able to use a pH titration curve to explain what happens to pH during this experiment; To be able to suggest why stomach pH should not become neutral or higher.

  • Understanding Neutralisation

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students should learn that an unknown acid (or alkali) concentration can be found by carrying out controlled neutralisation reactions involving accurately known reacting volumes of acid and alkali, one of which has a known concentration.A knowledge of the number of available H+ and OH? ions is also required.

  • Universal Indicator

    This activity covers the following objectives: Using indicators to classify solutions as acidic, neutral or alkaline; Using the pH scale as a measure of the acidity of a solution.

  • Using Carbon to Reduce Metals

    This activity covers the following objectives: To demonstrate carbon’s position in the reactivity series; To show that carbon is a useful reducing agent; To demonstrate quantitative relationships between elements and compounds.

  • Using Displacement Reactions to Produce Metal Coatings (I)

    This activity covers the following objectives: Applying practical economic ideas to a chemical manufacturing process and solving practical problems; Applying knowledge of the reactivity series of metals to an industrial metal displacement process; Writing out word and symbol equations to express a chemical process.

  • Using Displacement Reactions to Produce Metal Coatings (II)

    This activity covers the following objectives: Applying knowledge of the reactivity series of metals to an industrial process; Analysing a chemical process in terms of oxidation and reduction and expressing the chemical changes in word and symbol equations.

  • Using Neutralisation to Make Salt

    This activity covers the following objectives: To know the products of a neutralisation reaction; To know how to remove an indicator from a solution; To be able to obtain salt from a mixture.

  • Water of Crystallisation

    This activity covers the following objectives: Students will consolidate their understanding of the mole concept by carrying out a quantitative investigation of water of crystallisation.

  • Working out the Formula of Magnesium Oxide by Experiment

    This activity covers the following objectives: To reinforce that magnesium will react with oxygen when heated and that the mass increases; To show a real world application of calculations.

  • Writing Chemical Equations (I)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To practice writing word equations; To practice writing balanced symbol equations including state symbols.

  • Writing Chemical Equations (II)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To practice writing word equations; To practice writing balanced symbol equations including state symbols.

  • Writing Chemical Equations (IV)

    This activity covers the following objectives: To practice writing balanced ionic equations including state symbols.

  • Writing Chemical Equations II

    This activity covers the following objectives: To practice writing balanced symbol equations including state symbols.