Structure and bonding pre 16 – pupil resources
This collection of classroom resources features all the pupil activities from our Developing expertise in teaching structure and bonding pre 16 course for teachers. This collection is most valuable to those who have attended this course and wish to put into practice with their students some of the ideas and activities presented as part of that event.
Chocolate and structure experiment
The structure of a substance affects its properties and this is also true for chocolate. In this experiment you will melt and re-harden chocolate to change its structure. You will then compare the taste, texture and melting point of chocolate vs its melted and re-hardened form.
A solid-solid reaction between lead nitrate and potassium iodide
Prove that two solids can react together by using white lead nitrate and white potassium iodide to make yellow lead iodide.
Diffusion in liquids
Demonstrate the diffusion that takes place in liquids using colourless crystals of lead nitrate and potassium iodide at opposite sides of a petri dish of deionised water.
Spot the bonding
Chemistry is a conceptual subject and, in order to explain many of these concepts, teachers use models to describe and explain the microscopic world and relate it to the macroscopic properties of matter. This resource is designed to provide strategies for dealing with some of the misconceptions that students have ...
Interactions
This resource is designed to provide strategies for dealing with some of the misconceptions that students have in the form of ready-to-use classroom resources.
Allotropes of sulfur
Observe the changes in colour and consistency of sulfur as you heat it, melt it and eventually boil it.
Heating Group 1 metals in air and in chlorine
This is a demonstration that shows the reactions of Group 1 metals in air and in chlorine. It does not clearly show the trends in reactivity of Group 1 metals, which are better demonstrated by the reactions in water, which follow on well from this demonstration.
Iron and sulfur reaction
This demonstration or class experiment shows the exothermic reaction of two elements, iron and sulfur, to form the compound, iron sulfide. The two solids are mixed and heated in a test-tube (or ignition tube). The reaction can be used to illustrate elements, mixtures and compounds.
Hydrogen fluoride
This resource is designed to provide strategies for dealing with some of the misconceptions that students have in the form of ready-to-use classroom resources.
Chemical stability
Chemistry is a conceptual subject and, in order to explain many of these concepts, teachers use models to describe and explain the microscopic world and relate it to the macroscopic properties of matter. This resource is designed to provide strategies for dealing with some of the misconceptions that students have ...
Trends in reactivity in the periodic table
This could be used to follow up some work on the periodic table where the trends in reactivity in groups 1 and 7 have been identified. It can be used as a differentiated activity for the more able students within a group.
Jets of liquids
Investigate what happens when different charged plastics are held near a jet of water issuing from a burette, and explain your observations.
An analogy for the atom
Chemistry is a conceptual subject and, in order to explain many of these concepts, teachers use models to describe and explain the microscopic world and relate it to the macroscopic properties of matter. This resource is designed to provide strategies for dealing with some of the misconceptions that students have ...
Reaction between aluminium and iodine
Treat your students to a spectacular demonstration as aluminium and iodine are catalysed by water.
Making silicon and silanes from sand
Heat magnesium and sand together to produce silicon by an exothermic reaction.
Supercooling - the energetics of freezing
Students melt sodium thiosulfate crystals, and these are then cooled to a state well below the melting point. The supercooled liquid will freeze rapidly on the addition of a crystal of sodium thiosulfate, or on stirring which seeds the crystallisation process. Temperature changes are observed throughout.
Ionic bonding
An explanation often given for ionic bonding is that atoms lose or gain electrons to achieve noble gas configurations. This activity evaluates that as a complete explanation.
Covalent bonding
This activity seeks to develop an understanding of covalent bonding in terms of energetic stability rather than full shells.