Getting a reaction: school kids mix crime-solving with chemistry at Imperial

Sixty-four year 8 pupils take part in hands-on chemistry day at the College<em> - News</em>

By Danielle Reeves

Thursday 17 April 2008

School children turned detective today at Imperial College London, putting their science skills to the test to solve a fictional crime.

Sixty-four pupils from schools across the south east donned labcoats to try their hands at forensic science as part of the 2008 Salters' Festival of Chemistry. The 11 – 13 year olds were split into teams of four and given the task of solving a 'whodunnit' mystery, in which they had to identify a chemical salt, left behind at the scene of a crime.

Using Bunsen burners, the children endeavoured to identify the mystery salt by carrying out flame tests. These identify the metal part of the salt by burning different colours depending on what the salt is made of. The pupils then tested reactions in a test-tube to identify the non-metal part of the salt.

The crime-solving exercise, entitled "Who Pinched the Salt?", was just one element of a day of hands-on science. In the afternoon the pupils took part in a second science competition called "Cool It!" in which they became Star Trek engineers faced with the challenge of saving the ship by cooling down water to the precise temperature of 10.5 degrees centigrade, using only citric acid and sodium hydrogencarbonate.

Following the practical science challenges, the pupils were treated to a lecture entitled "Braving the Elements" by Imperial Chemistry Professor David Phillips. Professor Phillips' lively and interactive lecture introduced the pupils to the basics of chemistry, including a demonstration of how liquid nitrogen can freeze objects. He also illustrated how you can speed up chemical reactions using a catalyst, creating a couple of noisy explosions in the process to entertain the audience.

Neal Pabari from Orley Farm School carries out flame tests

Speaking during the morning's 'whodunnit' challenge, Theodora De Jasay from Queen's College school, who was working with her friend Jess Lotter, said: "This is really good fun, we're learning loads of things. We don't often get the chance to do big investigations like this in class at school."

Professor Tom Welton, Head of the Department of Chemistry at Imperial, said: "It's great that so many young people got involved with the Salters' Festival at Imperial this year. Events like this give young people the opportunity to find out a bit more about science at a university level, whilst having fun and putting what they've learned at school into practice. I hope that coming here today will inspire some of them to consider studying chemistry at a higher level in the future."

The Salters' Festivals of Chemistry are an initiative of The Salters' Institute, which aims to promote the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences among the young. The Festival at Imperial is one of a series of fifty-three Festivals which are taking place at universities throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland between March and June 2008.

The Salters' Festival of Chemistry at Imperial was organised by the College's Outreach Office and the Department of Chemistry. The event was co-hosted by Dr Gianluca Memoli from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Lucy Bean from the Outreach Office team.

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