School Science Lessons
Chemistry experiments
2009-06-23
Please send comments to: J.Elfick@uq.edu.au

Chemistry index and minerals, alphabetical list of terms
Index items A to B
Index items C
Index items D to H
Index items I to N
Index items O to P
Index items Q to S
Index items T to Z

See: Chemistry appendix
See: Primary school chemistry lessons
See: "Images of atoms" by Tony Wright

Table of contents
Chemical names.
Periodic table
Table of elements
History
Topic 3 Laboratory safety
Topic 4 Equipment
Topic 5 Chemical solutions
Topic 6 Measurement
Topic 7 Chemical substances, chemical properties, chemical changes, colloids
Topic 7a Suspensions, solutions, colloids
Topic 8 Combustion, burning, effect when heat substances
Topic 9 Crystals, macromolecules, polymers, plastics
Topic 10 Separation of pure substances, chemical and physical separation
Topic 11 Matter, structure of matter, atoms, ions, molecules, bonding
Topic 12 Chemical equations, types of chemical reactions, acids
Topic12A Salts, buffer solutions, tests, activity series, carbonates, oxides
Topic 12B Reactions of metallic elements
Topic 12C Periodic table, halogens, sulfur
Topic 12D Soaps, detergents, surfactants, water hardness
Topic 12E Neutralization, titrations, tests for unknown substances
Topic 12B Reactions of elements with their salts and compounds
Topic 12C Periodic table, reactions of halogens
Topic 12D Bases, soaps, detergents, surfactants, water hardness
Topic 12E Tests for unknown substances, confirmatory tests, group tests
Topic 12F Reactions nitrogen and oxygen
Topic 13 Gases, prepare gases
Topic 14 Thermochemistry, heat of reaction, chemical bonds
Topic 15 Electrochemistry, electrochemical cells, electrolytic cells
Topic 16 Organic chemistry, hydrocarbons, food tests, biochemistry
Topic 16a Chemistry of natural products, food tests
Topic 17 Rate of reaction, catalysts, enzymes, chemical equilibrium
Topic 18 Environmental chemistry
Topic 18a Swimming pool chemistry
Topic 19 Chemicals in the home, home chemistry
Topic 19a Food preservation, food chemistry, shopping chemistry
Topic 19b Cooking, fabrics, hardware, beauty, household chemicals

Primary school chemistry lessons
2.20 Spirit burner (alcohol lamp)
2.21 Heat substances
2.41 Mix and dissolve
2.42 Mix liquids
2.43 Different metals
2.44 Candle flame
2.21 Heat substances
4.14 Prepare crystals
4.19 Invisible inks
4.40 Heat and cool water
4.41 Ice experiments
5.35 Fertilizer trial
5.39 Make clay pots
5.40 Make potash from ash
5.41 Keep water clean
5.42 Heated air expands
5.43 Burn to make carbon
6.35 Burn candle over water

History of these chemistry experiments
1. UNESCO Chemistry Experiments (this document) had its origin from the publication of "Main Points in Chemistry" The Jacaranda Press, 1985, ISBN: 0 7016 1915 5, by Dr Alan Cook, previously at the Queensland University of Technology. This publication was not designed to replace any chemistry text but to provide an efficient means of focussing on the main points in chemistry in the simplest and most easily understood language. The original idea was to complement this text with a manual of simple experiments that best displayed the main points.

2. The next stage was the survey "School Science Curriculum Analysis" that was conducted from Science and Technology Section of UNESCO, Paris headquarters. Classification of science topics used in the survey was based on the publication "SPINES Thesaurus, A controlled and structured vocabulary for information and processing in the field of science and technology for development", English/Multilingual 1988 edition of the 1984 revision, UNESCO, ISBN: 92-3-102257-1. This UNESCO document was compiled by the UNESCO Secretariat and B. de Padriac. This survey obtained data from 78 respondents in 56 countries on what was being taught at primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary levels of science education. The results of this survey were used to make a collection of experiments starting from revision of the "New UNESCO source book for science teaching" 1979 UNESCO Paris ISBN 92-3-101058-1. Various organizations and authors allowed accounts of their experiments to be used.

3. The next stage was prepared in collaboration with Professor Mrs He Xiang Shan and the staff of the Chemistry Department of Capital Normal University, Beijing, China. This collaboration resulted in the publication of "GUOWAI ZHONGXUE SHIYAN HUAXUE (Overseas Middle School Experiments - Chemistry) (J. Elfick editor) Authors: He Xiangshan and Lin Xiaohong Language: Chinese No. Volumes: 1 No. Pages: 274 pages Date of publication: December 1996 ISBN 7-81039-804-0/G.661 Price: Yuan 9.80.
The difficult work of coordination and interpretation was done by UNESCO Assistant Programme Officers Mr Howard Jiang and Ms Ye Mai.
The publication was used for in-service training and was thoroughly reviewed by chemistry teachers in China. This book is on the Ministry of Education, People's Republic of China "All China Approved Book List for Primary and Secondary Schools" and is on sale to the public in China.

4. This document is the edited English version of "Overseas Middle School Experiments - Chemistry" designed to give a wider choice of experiments to teachers of chemistry in Chinese middle schools. The amount of descriptive detail in the experiments is designed to be the minimum needed for doing the experiment by a trained chemistry teacher. Each experiment is thought to be one of the simplest and least expensive ways of displaying the idea. However, a teacher should check the experimental details in a chemistry book recommended for use in that school system.

Chemical names used in this document are usually the standard names followed by synonyms. These names were checked with "Education Queensland (Australia) Aspects of Science management: A reference manual for Schools" 1997 and Philip Harris, UK catalogue.