Technicians’ advance planning sheet
Module C1: Air quality
This table shows items which may need to be ordered or prepared in advance for this module. It does not
list standard items, for example, test tubes, beakers, thermometers etc.
Full details of the resources needed for each activity are given in the Requirements section of the Teacher
& Technician notes published by OUP, which also include safety information for the activity.
Activity
Item(s)
Quantity
Notes
AC1.1.1
Transparent empty box
Clapper bell in round flask
Rubber bung to fit flask
1
1
1
Wire the clapper bell to a
length of rubber tube and
suspend it inside the flask. Do
not use wire supports in place
of the rubber tubing.
AC1.1.2
Stain Devil ® may be useful for
cleaning test tubes after this
activity.
AC1.2.1
Birthday candles
At least 15
AC1.2.2
Test tube of oxygen gas with
bung
1
AC1.2.3
2-litre plastic soft drinks bottle
with the bottom cut off
Rubber bung to fit the neck of
the bottle
Glass trough
Sheet aluminium platform
Beer-bottle top, with the plastic
insert burnt out
Blow torch
Red phosphorus
1
AC1.3.1
Diet cola
Mentos mints
Paper tube
Square of card
2-litre bottle
1 packet
1
1
AC1.3.3
Journal cards
4 per pair from activity
sheet
AC1.4.1
Roll sulfur
Acid-base indicator solution
Paraffin
1 < 0.5 cm cube
1 bottle
Few cm3
AC1.5.1
A variety of timing devices
1 per pair
1
1
1
1
1
0.5 g
© in this format University of York (UYSEG) and Nuffield Foundation 2011
The sheet aluminium platform
should be constructed so that
it stands above the level of
water when it is resting on the
bottom of the glass trough, and
the glass trough is half filled
with water. It needs to fit inside
the plastic bottle.
Burn out the plastic from inside
the bottle top in a fume
cupboard.
The paper tube should be just
long enough to hold a packet
of mints and just wide enough
so that the mints to stack up
on top of each other but slide
through the tube easily.
Timing devices might include
digital stop clocks and older
analogue stop clocks. It is
important a range of different
timing devices are used.
page 1
AC1.5.2
Small pieces of broken pottery
2 per group
AC1.5.3
Double sided sticky tape
1 roll
AC1.7.1
Solid fuels
Liquid fuels
Tin lids
Few small pieces
Few cm3
2
AC1.8.1
Potassium chlorate (V)
(reagent grade)
Jelly baby
Oxygen
Charcoal
15 g
AC1.9.1
Ethanol
Few cm3
AC1.9.2
500 ml plastic soft-drink bottle
with base removed
Washing-up liquid
Glycerol
Propan-2-ol
1
Anhydrous copper sulfate or
cobalt chloride paper
Fuel to burn
1 container
1 piece
Few cm3
AC1.9.3
Ensure tin lids have previously
been heated to remove any
volatile coatings.
1 per demonstration
1 tube per group
1 small piece per group
8 cm3
4 cm3
50 cm3
© in this format University of York (UYSEG) and Nuffield Foundation 2011
page 2
Technicians’ advance planning sheet
Module C2: Material choices
This table shows items which may need to be ordered or prepared in advance for this module. It does not
list standard items, for example, test tubes, beakers, thermometers etc.
Full details of the resources needed for each activity are given in the Requirements section of the Teacher
& Technician notes published by OUP, which also include safety information for the activity.
Activity
Item(s)
Quantity
Notes
AC2.1.1
Digestive biscuit
Polythene webbing that holds
four-pack drinks
Fruit jelly
Ceramic house brick
Steel tool
1
1
Steel tool could be a chisel,
screwdriver or hammer.
Lengths of thick wooden dowel
Copper wire, steel wire, nylon
filament, rubber bands
3 cm x 10 cm samples and
about 0.5 mm thick: sheet
copper, steel, polythene,
pottery, glass
Large iron nail (blunted)
3 cm x 5 cm samples: sheet
copper, steel, polythene,
pottery, glass
Large iron nail, larger samples
of materials roughly same
volume, brass weight, lump of
lead, solid rubber ball, objects
made of porcelain
0.5 cm x 0.5 cm samples:
sheet copper, steel, tin,
polythene, pottery, glass
Few pieces
Several of each
ABS: Lego bricks, casing for
laptops, car bumpers,
dashboards, hub covers
Aramid: golf club handles,
tennis racket frame, bullet
proof vests (as Kevlar)
Polyamide (nylon): racket
strings, fishing line, curtain rail
fittings, some plastic hinges,
toothbrush bristles, zips
PMMA (acrylic/Perspex): cover
of car rear light, bathroom
fixtures, lenses
1 example
AC2.2.1
1
1
1
Several of each
2 or 3
Several of each
Several of each
Several of each
This could be set up once to
be stored and used every year.
Objects and photos of objects
could be used for each
example of polymer.
1 example
1 example
1 example
// continued
© in this format University of York (UYSEG) and Nuffield Foundation 2011
page 3
Polycarbonate: mobile phone
cases, CDs, and DVDs,
camera body, lenses
Polyester: bottles for
carbonated drinks
Polythene: carrier bags, food
bags
Polypropylene: suitcases, car
dashboards, bottle tops, crisp
and sweet bags, casing for
some electric kettles
Rubber: rubber gloves, tyres
1 example
AC2.3.1
Range of objects made from
different polymers, e.g. rope
(nylon), plastic bag
(polythene), clothing (PVC,
polyester), polystyrene
(cassette/CD case), electrical
insulation (PVC)
Strings from a musical
instrument, nylon fishing line,
sewing threads made of
different materials.
Samples of plastic film cut from
bags and packaging material.
Packaging material from
sweets, crisps and other foods.
Flat style clothes hangers, CD
cases, plastic rules.
Several samples of each
AC2.3.2
Samples of various types of
thin sewing thread
1 reel of each type
AC2.6.1
Propan-2-ol, or other
anhydrous alcohol eg ethanol
Polyox [high molecular weight
poly(ethylene oxide), relative
molecular mass about 4 x 106]
Food colouring or fluoroscein
(optional)
String of ‘Christmas beads’ –
shiny beads for decorating
Christmas trees (optional)
40 cm3
AC2.6.2
AC2.7.1
Molecular model kits
Paperclips, 2 colours
1 example
1 example
1 example
1 example
3–4g
Polyox is available from MUTR
or Aldrich.
One of the strings of
‘Christmas beads’ should be
cut into individual beads.
Few cm3
2
10 of each colour per
group
Hexane-1-6-diamine
Decanedioyl chloride
Cyclohexane
50 % aqueous ethanol
4.4 g
3g
100 cm3
20 cm3
Butane gas (in a cylinder for a
gas lighter)
Paraffin (fuel)
Candle wax and polythene
1
Exact quantities of chemicals
will depend on the number of
groups – each pair needs
about 5 cm3 of each solution.
If a demonstration is used
instead of a class practical,
smaller quantities of chemicals
are needed.
1
1
© in this format University of York (UYSEG) and Nuffield Foundation 2011
page 4
AC2.7.2
Reaction vessel: a large, round
plastic bottle, as used in
workplace water dispensers.
Ethanol, or propan-1-ol, or
propan-2-ol
Methanol
1
AC2.8.1
Plastic medicine spoon, 5 cm3
Borax (sodium borate)
PVA glue
Glycerol
Fluoroscein dye or food
colouring (optional)
1 per group
0.8 g per group
40 cm3 per group
5 cm3 per group
Few cm3
AC2.8.2
Natural rubber latex
Vinegar, or citric acid solution,
or lemon juice
About 50 cm3
About 50 cm3
AC2.9.1
Candle wax, polythene, high
density polyethylene (HDPE):
supermarket carrier bags
(rustle when you crush them),
low density polyethylene
(LDPE): department store
carrier bags (the softer kind),
unvulcanized rubber: a film
made by coating a microscope
slide with Copydex adhesive
and allowing it to dry,
vulcanised rubber: brown
elastic band, plasticized PVC:
a squeezy toy, wire and cable
insulation, watch strap
Several samples of each
AC2.9.2
Large bars of chocolate
2
AC2.10.1 Crude oil substitute
Molecular model kit
Large transparent bowl, bucket
or beaker
40cm3
40cm3
About 6 cm3
1
1
AC2.11.1 Powdered milk
1 container
1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm solid cubes 8
AC2.11.2 Jelly cubes
2 per pair
AC2.12.1 Large coffee tin (500 g catering
size) with metal lid
Candle (short piece or tealight)
Conflour, dry
1
1
Few g per demonstration
© in this format University of York (UYSEG) and Nuffield Foundation 2011
The reaction vessel must have
a volume of 16 – 20 dm3. It
must be made of polycarbonate (marked PC) and of
no other material. It must be
completely dry before use.
If rubber latex cannot be
found, Copydex can be used
instead.
Prior to the lesson, one bar of
chocolate is melted while in its
wrapper, cooled in the fridge,
then returned to room
temperature. The other bar is
kept at room temperature.
For crude oil substitute recipe
see guidance sheet.
Tesco’s own brand powdered
milk works well, but not all
brands are as effective for this
demonstration
The maths department may
have a supply of solid cubes if
the science department hasn’t.
Prepare the apparatus as
shown on the guidance sheet
prior to the lesson.
Dry conflour in an oven.
page 5
Technicians’ advance planning sheet
Module C3: Chemicals in our lives:
Risks and benefits
This table shows items which may need to be ordered or prepared in advance for this module. It does not
list standard items, for example, test tubes, beakers, thermometers etc.
Full details of the resources needed for each activity are given in the Requirements section of the Teacher
& Technician notes published by OUP, which also include safety information for the activity.
Activity
Item(s)
Quantity
Notes
AC3.1.1
Model Earth, made from a
strong bar magnet (about 7
cm long) hidden centrally in
a sphere of PlasticineTM of
approximately 12 cm
diameter, and supported by
a plastic rod
Magnaprobe, or a sewing
machine needle magnetised
and suspended on a piece
of sewing thread.
Used matchsticks
1
Toothpicks could be used
instead of used matchsticks.
1
Approx. 8
1 per group of 8
students
AC3.1.2
Climate Through Time
posters
AC3.2.1
Tray
Dry sand
Gravel and small pebbles
(various sizes)
Talcum powder, or a similar
fine harmless powder
Drinking straws, or the
barrels of pens with the ink
tubes removed
1 per group
A mixture of sand,
gravel, and talcum
powder enough to about
½ fill each tray
Food labels (possibly
photocopied from packets)
covering enough examples
for students to estimate their
total salt intake in one day
Salt pot with table salt
A wide selection
Castor oil
Ethanol
Sodium hydroxide solution
(5M)
Sodium chloride
About 5 cm3
5 cm3
10 cm3
AC3.4.1
AC3.5.1
The posters can be ordered
free form the British
Geological Survey.
1 per student
1
10 g
© in this format University of York (UYSEG) and Nuffield Foundation 2011
page 6
AC3.5.2
AC3.6.1
AC3.7.1
Universal indicator paper
and colour chart
Hydrated sodium carbonate
crystals
Calcium hydroxide
Dilute hydrochloric acid (2M)
1 book per group
Concentrated sulfuric acid
Sodium chloride
Universal indicator paper
Iron sulfide, or sodium
sulfide
Hydrochloric acid (5M)
Sodium chlorate(I) solution
(14%)
Blue litmus paper
10 cm3
20 g
1 book
Few g
Electrolysis cell
Sodium chloride solution (30
g/dm3)
Universal indicator paper
1 per group
100 cm3 per group
1 container per group
1 container per group
1 container per group
About 20 cm3
About 50 cm3
Few strips
See guidance sheet for
details of the electrolysis
cell.
Few strips per group
© in this format University of York (UYSEG) and Nuffield Foundation 2011
page 7