Technicians’ lists of equipment
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Starter activities
Problem solving
 five containers of water
Main activities
E1a Make your own indicator
For each group:
 a cooked beetroot (not pickled)
 a knife to cut the beetroot
 a white tile
 a heatproof mat
 a Bunsen burner
 a tripod and gauze
 a 250 cm 3 beaker
 a 250 cm 3 conical flask
For the class (optional teacher demonstrations):
 a large piece of filter paper

1% phenolphthalein solution
 a paintbrush
 a spray container
 sodium hydroxide solution, 2 mol/dm
3
[CORROSIVE]
 three 100 cm
3
beakers
 a dropping pipette
 dilute hydrochloric acid (1 mol/dm
3
) [IRRITANT]
● a filter funnel
● filter paper
● two test tubes
● a test tube rack
● a dropping pipette
● lemon juice
● soap solution
E1b Using plant extracts as indicators
For each group:
 a spotting tile (dimple tile)
 access to a range of plant extracts in labelled beakers with dropping pipettes (the dyes will need to be extracted from the plant material ready for the lesson), for example: red cabbage blackcurrant raw beetroot litmus
 access to a range of household and laboratory acids and alkalis (maximum strength
0.4 mol/dm 3 ), for example: hydrochloric acid sulphuric acid lemonade sodium hydrogencarbonate solution calcium hydroxide solution (limewater) ammonia solution sodium hydroxide solution nitric acid lemon juice vinegar
This list is in Microsoft Word, so it can be customised to fit each school’s requirements.
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Lesson E2: How acidic?
Technicians’ lists of equipment
Downloaded from
Main activities
E3a Adding an acid to an alkali
For each group:
 universal indicator colour chart
 universal indicator solution
 two 100 cm
3
beakers
 two 50 cm
3
measuring cylinders
 two dropping pipettes
 a stirring rod

100 cm
3
of hydrochloric acid, 0.4 mol/dm
3

100 cm
3
of sodium hydroxide solution, 0.4 mol/dm
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Main activities
E2a Dip and check
For each group:
 a range of household substances with various pHs (e.g. bleach, washing up liquid, washing powder, soap, oven cleaner, vinegar, lemon juice, etc.) Each should be mixed with or dissolved in a beaker of water for testing. The original packaging should be displayed and the beakers labelled to match the packaging.
 a glass rod for each beaker
 a book of pH paper
Lesson E3: Taking away acidity
E3b Using a datalogger to check pH changes
For each group:
 a 250 cm
3
beaker
 a 100 cm
3
measuring cylinder
 a 50 cm
3
measuring cylinder
 a 100 cm
3
dropping funnel
 a magnetic stirrer
 a retort stand and clamp
 a pH sensor
 a datalogger with printer

100 cm
3 of hydrochloric acid, 0.4 mol/dm
3

100 cm
3
of sodium hydroxide solution, 0.4 mol/dm
3
E3cde Investigate: How well do antacids work?
Equipment may vary slightly according to the method chosen by pupils in their plans.
This list is in Microsoft Word, so it can be customised to fit each school’s requirements.
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Technicians’ lists of equipment
Downloaded from www.catalystscience.co.uk
For each group:
 four 250 cm 3 beakers
 a 100 cm 3 measuring cylinder
 a stirring rod
 hydrochloric acid, 0.1 mol/dm 3 , labelled ‘stomach acid’
 four different brands of antacid
 a stopwatch
 universal indicator solution
 a universal indicator colour chart
Additional for Extension:
 a datalogger with printer (optional)
 a pH sensor (two, if available)
 a retort stand and clamp (depending on type of sensor)
 a plastic stirring rod
E3c How well do antacids work?
 four beakers
 a measuring cylinder
 universal indicator solution
 a stirring rod
 a solution of ‘stomach acid’
 a universal indicator chart
 a stopwatch
 four different brands of antacid
This list is in Microsoft Word, so it can be customised to fit each school’s requirements.
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