Alchemy?: chemistry and industrial processes for schools and colleges

Developed to support the teaching of chemistry and industrial processes, the CD-ROM is built around 15 video clips each lasting approximately five minutes. These clips cover the following industrial processes: aluminium, ammonia, chemicals from salt, copper refining, gases from the air, iron and steel, nitric acid, Nylon, oil refining, polythene, sodium, sulphuric acid, combinatorial chemistry, computational chemistry and making medicines. The video clips are based around the manufacturing plant for each material. They clearly outline the key stages of each process, including relevant chemical equations and diagrams.

Clips can be viewed at a computer or using a large monitor or data projector. The commentary can be displayed as sub-titles, allowing the package to be used by the hard-of-hearing as well as in a computer suite. In addition to a video clip, each topic includes: an introduction to the process with a slide show of some end uses of the product; a fact file with percentage uses and graphs; a set of multiple choice questions that can be attempted and marked on screen; a set of teachers' resources including notes on the process, printable diagrams and stills from the video and longer questions (with answers).