Microscale chemistry revisited

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Source: © BOB WORLEY

Microscale techniques are unlikely to replace our traditional approach to chemistry education, but they do provide an extra dimension to our teaching strategies

Looking at photographs of school chemistry laboratories before the second world war, you see Bunsen burners, tripods, and other very familiar apparatus still used today. Other sciences have seen more dramatic changes; physics with electronics, lasers and radioactivity and biology with aseptic techniques. Bunsen burners, tripods, burettes still work well but other practical methods are available which provide more variety in presenting practical chemistry to students.

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