Australia's Science Forum

Last time we did this I researched what the plants looked like and wondered where I could get them. Finally realised that on my journey to work every morning I was passing a large variety of the plants that we needed. So armed with a pair of secateurs, on the day that these plants were required, I t...

I have gotten rid of all of our 110 degree mercury thermometers (except those that pop up in unexpected places) and also the clinical thermometers. I have kept the thermometers that measured up to 360 degrees Celsius and also some that are 250 degrees Celsius. The thermometers are used with the Quik...

Sherbert Recipe: 1 tablespoon icing sugar, 1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda, 1/4 teaspoon citric acid, 1 teaspoon flavoured jelly crystals. Put all ingredients in a snack size ziplock bag. Zip bag shut and make sure all ingredients are mixed/shaken together well. If not to students taste add extra icing sug...

Lead nitrate and potassium iodide makes a bright yellow precipitate. Instant gratification and spectacular result. Silver nitrate and potassium iodide makes a white precipitate. Not as spectacular. We use sodium hydroxide 0.1M and copper sulfate 0.1M for conservation of mass practical. We are using ...

I have just had a look through several different Y7 textbooks that we have here and none of them mention flame tests. What Y7 textbook are you using? Even Y7 states of matter practicals don't cover flame tests. If push comes to shove then paddle pop sticks soaked in solutions. Keep the pretty flame ...

HI, Saccharine goes by the names of - Sweet & Low, Sweet Twin, Necta Sweet. Sucralose goes by the name of Splenda. I saw the Splenda product in Woolworths today in the sugar section. That is the artificial sugar/sweetener section. Acesulfame - E950, Sweet One, Sunetti. I think you will have to d...

Try forty years in the same school. Is it time to retire? :coffee: Yes I have the black and white sprayed aluminium cans and the silver ones if we use them are covered in aluminium foil. I think some of the cans are overdue for a repaint though. Spray outdoors using a flat white and flat black paint...

Science ASSIST has an SOP for demonstrating the van de graaff generator. Comes with safety notes and operating procedures. Make a couple of copies so that if one of your teachers walks off with the information you have another set tucked safely away. This site also has other SOP's which I have downl...

I have bought rats (dead obviously) from one of the pet stores here in Darwin. It was either Petbarn or Petstock. The biology teacher at that time wanted rats that smelled fresh and that looked newly dead :D and she wanted them at short notice. Usually though, we get rats from Southern Biological wh...

My first response this morning when I read this was just make up a fresh batch of 2M and be done with it. My second response after reading all the advice above is: " make up a fresh batch of 2M and stop stressing out". My head hurts after reading the above two answers. :-? Is it :coffee: t...

Has anyone or any of your teachers had problems when using Risk Assess and gotten a blank page with server hangup on it. I have a teacher who is having problems when she is trying to update her pracs or create new pracs. When she updates the risk assessment she gets this blank page with server hangu...

I gave up using Chemwatch years ago. I just use ChemSupply for most SDS's now. Their site is user friendly. They have SDS's also from other suppliers that provide them with chemicals. If all else fails the internet can usually provide relevant SDS's for any elusive chemical that can't be pinned down.

Thanks Remlap12 for the information on the update. It helps us all to know that there is this information available. Now if only the administrations we work for would take this information on board and use the updated classification designations for our job descriptions.

Has anyone tried Bunnings for disposable nitrile gloves? I have a box of 75, Hercules brand, supposedly extra strong, chemical safe and latex free. I have them tucked away in the compactus so that the teachers don't use them for general distribution. I have normal disposable gloves for general class...

Please google the following: School science laboratory technicians national standards for professional practice 2014. This document will give you an outline of what it is that we do in our jobs. Just adapt it to your own situation.

Thanks for the information Labbie and bigmack. I like to stay at least one step ahead of the WHS person here. Then again retirement is always an option.

Check the search function for this site - swan neck glass tubes. Ian posted an image of an alternative swan neck. Plus there are also other suggestions.

I have Chem Supply listed in my favorites section and just download when I need to update an SDS for a chemical. I don't have to logon to the site. If they don't have an SDS for any obscure chemical that I might still have on my shelf I then do the Google thing.

Are you planning for your retirement? Sorry about that - last day of term. You could try using a carbon block and a Bunsen blue flame. We had a piece of equipment (a type of tube - blowpipe) which enabled the user to make the flame to burn hotter to melt various metal powders, but we haven't done th...

Potassium iodide of any strength 1M or 2M, will eventually turn yellow in its container, usually pale yellow. That colour change happens after a long period of time. Even my 0.1M solution has a faint hint of colour but it has been sitting on the shelf for a long time. So I may have to make up a fres...