Faculty of Natural Sciences

Chemistry

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Chemistry Workshops for Schools

Chemistry workshops are available for students ranging from year 9 to sixth form. Sessions can be booked individually or as part of a whole day experience. We can tailor sessions specifically to meet the needs of your class, below is an idea of the sort of thing we can do but please feel free to contact us and we can discuss any ideas further. Sessions can be arranged outside of University term time and we can accommodate up to 30 students at a time.

Fireworks and Explosions (2 hours) This exciting workshop offer students the chance to experiment with colourful and explosive chemical reactions in a fun and controlled environment. The science of exothermic reactions is introduced in a practical based session.

Molecules of Crime (1 hour) Have you ever wondered what ecstasy actually is or the structure of the active substance in cannabis? In this fun, hands on session students can choose their own molecule of crime to make and they’ll even get a picture taken with the molecule to take away as a souvenir!

Spectroscopy Workshop (~2 hours) Students can take advantage of the excellent analytical equipment available in the Keele Laboratories. Popular sessions include the analysis of aspirin using infra-red spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, (students can bring their own synthesized aspirin to analyse, particularly suitable for AS or A2 students).

Chromatography Workshop (~2 hours) This workshop introduces students to the principles of chromatography, specifically thin layer chromatography and HPLC or GC. This allows them hands on practical experience in preparing samples for analysis and running samples on analytical instrumentation, as well as quantification work.