Tweet Follow @mark_lorch There has been a spot of role reversal in my house of late. I’ve been at the Minecraft again and my kids are complaining. A while back Microsoft asked me and Joel Mills to work on the latest update of their amazingly popular game. And that update now includes a whole load of chemistry …
Category Archive: chemical education

Oct 31
Halloween Chemistry: Cinder Toffee!
Tweet Follow @Sci_ents How about a spot of halloween chemistry? With nice simple explanations for the trick or treaters. Cinder toffee!! You’ll need: Sugar Golden syrup A jam/jelly thermometer Bicarbonate of soda Grease proof paper A baking tray A saucepan Safety: The toffee mix gets very hot, be careful when handling in and make sure there’s …

Oct 30
Molecules in Minecraft
Tweet Follow @Sci_ents Tweet #MolCraft Children should be playing more computer games in school. That idea might enrage you if you think kids today already spend too much time staring at screens or if you are already sick of your offspring’s incessant prattling about fighting zombies and the like. But hear me out. Specifically, I …

Oct 27
Review: Chemistry Sets fit for the 21st Century.
Tweet Follow @Sci_ents As a kid I loved my chemistry set. Many an afternoon was whiled away in my dad’s shed, totally ignoring the set’s instructions and randomly mixing the contents of the various bottles. To be honest I can’t really remember learning much chemistry, beyond the fact that it was possible to generate some …

Jun 05
6 ways to tackle #chemperceptions
Tweet Follow @Sci_ents Tweet #chemperceptions The overwhelming message to come out of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s study into the UK public’s perceptions of chemistry is that people just don’t know what it is chemists do. So in case you are stuck for ideas on how to spread the message here’s my top 6 ways to …

Jun 01
Spread the word about chemistry & don’t fret the chemophobia
Tweet Follow @Sci_ents Tweet #Chemperceptrions At times chemists can feel rather maligned. But according to the RSC’s study of the UK public’s perceptions of chemistry we shouldn’t be quite so worried about what people think of us. We do however need to get out there and let people know what we do. The other sciences seem to …