Nuffield Chemistry: Collected Experiments

Collected Experiments contains all the experiments used in the sample scheme together with many others. It is intended for the use of teachers, and its purpose is two-fold:

1. to provide alternative experiments in case those given for the sample scheme are not suited to the particular conditions under which the teacher is working.

2. to provide some experimental material for teachers who want to use the Nuffield approach, but to teach subject-matter other than that given in the Sample Scheme.

The experiments The experiments in this book are grouped into topics. For example, experiments on isolating single substances are collected together, whether they are best used for students aged 11 or students aged 16. Some of the experiments are not appropriate for 11-16 courses now and have found their place in post-16 advanced courses. Some chapters use chemical terminology that was introduced in the first version of the Sample Scheme but eliminated when the course was revised. A notable example is that the concept of ‘amount of substance’ measured in moles soon replaced the terms gram-atoms and gram formulae. This book was published in the days when teachers of chemistry were expected to have specialist expertise and so the descriptions of experiments lack the health and safety advice that is found in modern publications. Many of the experiments are now appearing in a revised form on the Practical Chemistry web site.

The topics

Part I: What chemical changes are taking place, and what representation of them can be given at the molecular level?

Chapter 1: The effects of heating substances Chapter 2: Isolation and recognition of a single substance Chapter 3: Air and combustion Chapter 4: Water Chapter 5: The effect of electricity on substances Chapter 6: Elements, their classification, and their differences from compounds Chapter 7: Reactivity series Chapter 8: Acidity-alkalinity Chapter 9: Electron transfer Chapter 10: Carbon compounds Chapter 11: Raw materials and industry Chapter 12: Using gram-atoms; formulae and equations Chapter 13: Structure

Part II: How fast do the changes take place, and can their speeds be altered? Chapter 14: Rates of reaction and catalysis Part III: How far do the changes go, and can the final proportions be adjusted? Chapter 15: Equilibria Part IV: What energy changes accompany the chemical change, and what is their significance? Chapter 16: Energy Chapter 17: Cells First published 1967