Australia's Science Forum

Hmmm, potassium permanganate and glycerol - exactly the recipe used for firefighting incindary bombs............?!?

Dear Judy, does your school have an Archive Department? Ours is attached to our school Museum and this is where our RA/prac requests and memorabilia goes to as well. It is fun to visit what we used in the days when we scrounged for everything....a teachers kitchen cupboard doors when we needed disse...

Hello Gillegan,
I most certainly have some microscopes that I am looking into finding a good home for.
I will pm you,
Cheers
Robyn

Hi All,
we have had a clean-up of our resources and have textbooks to give away. If you are in need of any to complete your sets, can you advise ISBN number and we will see what we have got.

Cheers,
Robyn

Dear labgirl,
I was just looking over some resources we have finished with.
There are some (3 and counting) copies of Jacaranda Core Science 3 but their ISBN is 0-7016-3388-3. Can you use them??
~Robyn

Hi All, does anyone know if there is a safe storage box for radioactive sources out there yet?? We have always used a petty cash tin lined with lead, however upon testing the box with a geiger counter, there is not much change in the reading from the unprotected sources. Surely we deserve a proper, ...

Just replying quickly, what attracted me was its being declared as a carcinogen and its effects on teeth when concentrated, are two that come to mind. Also bringing to mind that as a subscriber, the Chemwatch Bulletins contain refreshed information that apply to technicians in schools as well as the...

Hi All,
please find attached the info on sulfuric acid

Hi, I was just scrolling around and came to your post. When we designed our new building 5 years ago, the school outfitted our 6 labs, 3 prep rooms and staffroom with paper towel dispensers. The labs have the Tork continuous paper towelling and the prep rooms have the interleaved ones. Our prac requ...

Sure, will pm you,
~R

Hi All,
new information on how dangerous this substance is in the current Chemwatch Bulletin...
~R

thanks for your comments - keep 'em coming.
Has anyone seen a reference to this specific problem in the CSIS manuals??
~Robyn

Can I ask my colleagues what rules they have regarding food in labs - students snacking or food tasting experiments??
~Robyn

We have a phone in the prep room which is a portable. Our desk phone defaults to this if we are not at our desk.
Works well.....
~Robyn

Hi All, we have our main prep room off a corridoor which has no student access. All our chemicals are stored at the far end of this preproom in their own rooms and out of sight. Yet the school inspectors inspecting us for our re-accreditation want all chemicals under lock and key even when we are ne...

Hi Jenny, when we have aqueous solutions of chemicals that can go to landfill, we allow them to evaporate somewhere safely (can take up to a year), then dispose of the dry waste to landfill. Waste disposal companies charge by the quantity as well as the type of chemical (ie those that can't go to la...

Dear Kelli, we use sodium but only by approved teachers and ONLY as a demonstration with the Risk Assessment/disposal forms filled in correctly. DET approved chemical code users in NSW are categories 1, 2 & 5. Code 1. Teaching staff with tertiary qualifications in chemistry, staff approved as Co...

We put only 8-10 matches in each box also. It's funny how they are careful with them when they can see there is a limited supply. We even get some matches back. :D Now.......how to keep the spent matches out of the sink and lab kits...... We have galvanised sand buckets in each lab but they are not ...

Hi, we have been down this path many times. There are flints and flames to light bunsens with, even ones made by the Redhead matchbox people. Always, always the kids keep them in the flames until they melt or are destroyed, they are not cheap and to get one for each lab group has not worked. We alwa...

Hi,
you may wish to try a wash in soapy water to remove any grease from little fingers?
Sigh - more cleaning....
~Robyn