Australia's Science Forum

Hi Robb, Thanks very much, I knew I could rely on you. =D> I have spent time this morning calculating the amounts of each concentration that is needed to make 1M solutions as that is what we use most often. (not that is used that often, essentially only with year 8 acids and bases). I will table the...

A question for Robb to clarifyy if he would. I have spent time this morning googling and punching figures into the calculator and have found these results, would you be able to tell me if they are correct before I go and write them up into " the Laboratory" as extra information as it only ...

Earlier this year due to water restrictions and the fact our old still ( about 15 years old) took about 20 litres to make 1 litre of distilled water we pensioned him off and purchased a Calligan deioniser from Scientrific, the same model can be purchased from Haines, for about $650. As we have only ...

We have a microwave in the science staffroom for edible stuff ( though I seriously doubt that description of some of the food I see being put into it) and another one in the science prep room for doing agar, making plastic, dying wool ( my hobby and seeing I don't have a spare microwave at home I br...

I wrote earlier today about my problems with Nitric acid solutions and my recipes, they pale into insignifigance compared to the numerous dilutions recipes I have for Ammonia. I havd recipes from several different sources, none seem to correlate or add up. To make up a 1M solutions the figures I hav...

Hi All, Next year I will be away for 4 weeks so am starting to make sure all is in order for my replacement. I know they will be doing acids and bases during my absence so I have to teach her how to make up the acids etc. When I came to the recipe for Nitric acid it has been crossed out and changed ...

Thanks Liz, Thankfully ours didn't work either, except for the kids destroying at least 3 of my plastic spatula in the process!!!! But I do now have the gun powder mixture to dispose of. I thought to put the containers in water to disolve the Potassium Nitrate, then discard the Sulphur/carbon mix so...

My chem teacher want to make up some gun powder to make sparklers. The ingredients are potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur all of which by themselves we are allowed to use. Does any body know if we can mix them and make the gunpowder or is that banned in DET schools. I have tried looking in my C...

Maybe mum did too, That's probably why it was tough, stringy and revolting!!!!!!!!!

Wendy

Hi Richard, Not much else to do in a country town as a teenager but press tongues! Maybe you brother didn't live here in the late 60's early 70's. Though seriously it was ox tongue that had had the pooper boiled out of it (a bit like corned beef, though even smellier as it was cooking) then put into...

Like Julie, I love brains. I'ts my first choice if it's on the Menu when we go out for Dinner. Especially when they are crumbed, then fried in Garlic butter. I like the justuposition of the chrunchy outside with the melt in your mouth interior. Maybe it's also my age and small country town upbringin...

We had a morning tea yesterday supplied for us by the principal. At least it's good to know your appreciated, even if it is only one week a year, and it would have been a SASS that brought it to the attention of the hierachy. I have been notified this morning of an across the board prac test for all...

It must be something to do with the DET as we usually are able to go straight in , we do not need a login and password.

Wendy

Hi All, When I tried this morning to get into the Chemwatch site from chemwatchdb.det.nsw.edu.au I couldn't get in. The usual "allow pop-ups" notification didn't come up, and the front front page keeps on searching then I got a "this page cannot be displayed" . I was wondering if...

The recipe I have for acidified Potassium chromate calls for 1ml of 1M sulphuric acid into 20 ml of 0.02M potassium dichromate. Surely at that dilution it wouldn't create the Chromic Acid that is the nasty. Under Potassium Dichromate (page 201 in my book) CSIS says that Chromic acid is prepared by m...

I received my flyer today. Went straight up to the front office to ask the senior SASS about going, she is putting it to the headmaster, Here's hoping. I wasn't able to go last year due to ill health so maybe this year. I've picked the workshops I want to go to, now its just up to the HM. Hope to se...

Several years ago one of our teachers wanted to do this prac so I got the latex and tried it out using the experiment guidline from Heinemenn 4 Interactive Science. This used 2 M hydrochloric acid. There was a marked "Rotten egg gas" smell as I mixed the 2 chemicals. As the rubber is mould...

I'd never heard of peptonized milk (or tomato juice agar), neither had our Bio teacher (very experienced).

Would someone be able to tell me what it is and what part of the sylabus it is used in.

Hope those about to start holidays have a lovely restful break.

Wendy

Oxley High School is a large school with 1150 students. That means 7 or 8 classes in each year from 7-10 and usually 2 Biology, Physics and chemistry classes in both 11 and 12. At this stage I get rather embarrassed as the budget we got this year for the Science faculty was over $ 15,000. This was f...

I thought I'd better give an update of my spill of white out onto the jacket. After trying out many different things on my scrap material we discovered that what worked best was the Eucalyptus oil and then a hand wash with a gentle detergent. There are no traces left on the tan past of the jacket an...