A Catalyst article about what happens as plants grow. During their growth, plants remove compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from soil which need to be replaced to maintain the soil’s fertility. For centuries farmers have used organic manures, crop rotation or ploughed in specially grown crops; today...

This Salters’ Chemistry Course unit from the University of York Science Education Group covered:
* The concept of foods as mixtures of chemical substances
* A comparison of foods and fuels
* The energy content of different foods
* The role and...

A Catalyst article about green chemistry. Many reactions take place in solution. Water is a familiar solvent but there are many others, including a rather surprising one, carbon dioxide, which is a non-polluting ‘green’ solvent. The chemical industry relies on solvents to produce many everyday products, such as:...

Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), these materials look at the work of plant research scientist, Jess Chu. Through investigating vitamin C in plants, students gain a greater understanding of the career opportunities available in plant biology.

This activity, produced by Solar Spark, uses "magic dye", a mixture of three different dye molecules. The mixture contains a yellow disperse dye, a direct blue dye and an acid red dye. When a fabric is put into the mixture, the dyes only attach to the types of fabrics they can bond well with. For example, the blue...

A Catalyst article about the rock cycle which is responsible for the formation of many different types of rocks and minerals. The article explores the formation of minerals, their chemical composition and internal structure together with the reason for mineral hardness. As silicates form a third of all known...

A Catalyst article looking at how modern archaeology uses analytical chemical techniques to answer questions about ancient civilisations and animals. Scientists working at the University of Bristol match compounds present in archaeological materials to those in modern plants and animals which were likely to have...

The Nuffield Advanced Biology Topic Reviews for students were an integral part of the Advanced Biological Science materials, but each could be read on its own. Thus, students could use them for their current work, or to pursue personal interests.

This topic review dealt in a general way with some aspects of...

The Guide to Chemistry Apparatus set out the requirements for the class experiments and teacher demonstrations suggested for Stages I and II of the Nuffield Chemistry Basic Course.

Notable changes in practice for the...

Work done in this Nuffield 13 - 16 module followed from the B unit called ‘Charged particles’. This S unit provided enough material for eight double periods during a single-certificate science course. The teachers’ guide included nine worksheets to supplement the...

Produced by Solar Spark, this activity allows students to make their own plastic from vinegar and milk. Milk contains casein in a form that is soluble in water. Making the milk acidic by adding vinegar makes the casein insoluble so the milk separates into a solid and a liquid known as curds and whey. Removing the...

The University of York Science Education Group ensured that all the Science in the Environment packs were organised according to broad environmental themes. Within each pack, a number of specific contexts were used to introduce the science content. In addition, each...