EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE CHEMISTRY INTERNAL ASSESSMENT (IA) INVESTIGATIONS
TRADITIONAL OR HANDS-ON
 Removing tarnish from silver objects (redox reactions)
 Aspirin: Syntheses using less common approaches like microwaves, purification by melting
point and TLC, kinetics of the hydrolysis of aspirin to salicylic acid under various conditions
 Synthesis of the Sweetener Dulcin from the Analgesic Tylenol (allows using titration)
 Studying nucleophilic substitution reactions (using TLC-quantitation may be achieved by
using simple flatbed scanner)
 Production of hydrogen peroxide using a photosensitizer such as riboflavin and redox
reactions
 Thermal denaturation of proteins using UV light
 thermodynamics and kinetics of 'Heater Meals"
 Investigating the kinetics of the bleaching of a dye using a colorimeter probe
 Solidification techniques and materials
 distribution constant of iodine between aqueous and non-aqueous systems (which could be
expanded to calculate ∆G)
 Investigating gases in water overheated in a microwave
 investigating EDTA contents in shower cleaners
 Investigating the dependence of overvoltage on the composition of a metal surface at
which hydrogen discharge occurs, bubbles' lifetime' and IMF
 Low rank coal swelling with different solvents
 Pharmaceuticals from plants
 Investigating fluorescence using turmeric, B complex vitamins, minerals, household items.
 Iodine numbers of palm oil as compared to other cooking oils.
 An expansion of the determination of manganese in a paper clip.
 Effectiveness of different salts on road snow removal.
 In-depth kinetics investigation into a specific investigation.
 Transition metal ions (effects of metals, ligands, oxidation states on the colour of the ion)
 Natural indicators (sources, stability, Ka values, end point range)
 Extraction of oil from spices (using different sources of spices, different storage conditions)
 Effectiveness of different water purification methods on dissolved ions.
 Melting points of group 2 metals and the different types of crystal lattice.
 The amount of nitrogen in fertilizers (reacting with excess NaOH and titrating with standard
HCl)
 Thermodynamic data for ionic compounds (Ksp, can be calculated by gravimetric
determination, The enthalpy of solution)
 The use of different fruits to chelate heavy metals (eg cadmium) from polluted water
sources.
 The effect of temperature on vitamin C content in red pepper juice.
 Determination of residual chlorine concentration vs distance from water treatment plant
 The determination of the activation energy in a reaction by examining the relationship
between temperature and the rate constant of said reaction.
 The effect of cooking method on Vitamin C content
 Henna as an effective indicator
 Free caffeine in coffee vs various teas
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Effect of roasting on caffeine content of coffee
Ca content of lentils
Change of [Fe] in avocados as they ripen
The effect of increased carbon dioxide on the acidification of salt water
Energy content of foods / compared to printed values on the packaging
The effect of temperature on the pH of ascorbic acid solutions
SPREADSHEETS
 producing artificial seawater using spreadsheets for calculations
 studying carbonate system equilibria in aquariums using Excel for calculations
 Calculating pI of proteins
 Study kinetics of a reaction with software such as ChemKinetics, Using Excel or Modellus.
DATABASES
 NIST or any of the many excellent databases available in the web could be used to
investigate trends in C-H, N-H, and O-H Bond dissociation enthalpies
 Comparing experimental data related to structure of compounds with values predicted by
software such as MOPAC, WebMO or GAMESS
 Investigating intermolecular forces using software such as SAPT
 Investigating the effect of isotopes on vibrational spectra comparing experimental results
with those predicted by programmes such as Spartan Student, Molden or Tinker
 Analyzing environmental topics from databases such as those from EPA, European
Environment Agency, United Nations Environment Programme, Database of Environmental
Education Related Organizations Among Asian Countries or NETROnline
 Environmental issues offer endless possibilities.
 Comparing structures of drugs to their various properties - there are many large databases
to access - i.e. drugbank.ca , https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chembldb/
 List of 64 free chemistry databases: http://depth-first.com/articles/2011/10/12/sixty-fourfree-chemistry-databases/
 Exploring the relationship between the molecular mass/number of hydroxyl groups within a
chemical compound and its solubility in water.
SIMULATIONS
 Investigate the Influence of surrounding chemical environment on NMR spectra using
WinDNMR and relate these structures to chemical reactions or establish changes in terms of
modifications in temperature. The information can then be exported to spreadsheets for
further analysis.
 Simulation investigations might determine data in a straight-forward way (like playing a
computer game) but then the student should use this simulation for processing data, or
comparing with experimental results either personally collected or from data bases taking
one step beyond the simulation, to find something new.
 Students need insight and initiative when using simulations to reach expected depth.
 Simulations on their own do not meet requirements of the criteria.
 Student write their own program to simulate a process/reaction/relationship.
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