This Catalyst article looks at salt, in particular the process of extracting salt from the sea in the salt factories of Trapani in Sicily. Located on the west coast of the island, the saline (salt ponds) were probably started by the Phoenicians around 3000 years ago. The article also looks at the structure of salt...

This Catalyst article looks at NASA's Mars Curiosity rover, the automated chemistry lab which landed safely on Mars in August 2012. Capable of analysing samples from the planet's surface and atmosphere, the rover will undertake two years of experiments in the hope of discovering even more about our neighbouring...

This Catalyst article investigates the remains of King Richard III of England, which have been excavated, and how they were analysed to establish the details of how he died.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2015, Volume 26, Issue 1.

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This pack has all you need to facilitate a structured debate on the controversial topic of whether the town centre ought to be for self-driven cars only. The structure shows students how to build a discussion and back up their opinions with facts. The pack provides outline guidance for four imagined but...

Democs is a series of resources produced by the new economics foundation (nef). Their aim is to promote discussion about contemporary issues. Materials contain teacher guidance and the information and structure that students need to develop ideas on difficult issues. They help students to gain confidence in their...

This Catalyst article looks at diamond and graphite which are allotropes of carbon. Their properties which depend on the bonding between the carbon atoms are also examined.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2016, Volume 27, Issue 2.

Mendeleev's invention of the periodic table of the elements showed how to predict and create further elements, something which scientists are still doing today.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2016, Volume 26, Issue 4.

A Catalyst article about Dorothy Hodgkin who was a pioneering scientist, a peace activist, a mother of three and a Nobel Prize winner. The article looks at her life and work in science. She did valuable work as an X-ray crystallographer and in finding the structure of biologically important molecules such as...

This Catalyst article looks at how people lived in the past, archaeologists look at the items (artefacts) these cultures left behind. Using chemical analysis of residues in the artefacts an enormous amount of additional information can be gleaned. This article investigates early dairy farming. Analysis of tiny...

This article introduces Laura Waters, who is a chemist at Huddersfield University with an interest in both doing scientific research and communicating her work to a wide audience.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2015, Volume 25, Issue 4.

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This is one of the 14 Background Books published for Stage III of the Nuffield Chemistry Sample Scheme. The books were highly illustrated and designed to be attractive. This book traces some of the key developments in the uses of chemicals in medicine.

The main topics are:
*the early history of...