The Chemistry Club

The first meeting was held on 23rd January 08 with a group of students ranging from Grade 7 to Grade 11, who assembled together in Lab 7 under the supervision and guidance of Mrs. Kitchener.

The activity started with a short demonstration of Charles' Law, which states that the volume of a given amount of dry ideal gas is directly proportional to the Celsius Temperature, provided the amount of gas and the pressure remain fixed. We heated an aluminium can containing a small amount of water to a high temperature to create a region of low pressure inside the tin. When steam is seen escaping from the can, we then quickly placed the can into a basement of cold water, and then it is observed that the can was crushed.

Next, we decided to light up hydrogen filled balloons in a row to create a chain of explosions. hydrogen is a bi-product of the reaction between magnesium and hydrochloric acid. Effervescence was observed when we put a piece of Magnesium ribbon into a glass test tube containing hydrochloric acid. The hydrogen gas produced was collected into balloons. The balloons were lined up using thread and tape, and then lighted (see picture). Hydrogen is highly flammable, when the gas in the balloons caught fire, it exploded.

Overall it was a very successful first meeting.

Christopher Sien and Sarvatrajit Singh

(Answer to last post question: Nitrogen is the atom shown).

A new year and new laboratories

Welcome to the SJI International Science Department blog! It is our intention to regularly post updates about the latest activities in the department to keep you informed about the fantastic classes and opportunities that SJI International science students are involved in. With regular contributions from our students we hope this blog will become an important communication tool for those interested in science in the SJI International community.

The year has begun with much enthusiasm and excitement. We have moved into brand new laboratories which are fully equipped with some excellent technological equipment and already classes are abuzz with students engaging in meaningful learning experiences. Dr Hjorth's and Miss Carter's Gr10 FIB classes have been conducting experiments to look at the effectiveness of washing detergents. Miss Kitchener's Gr11 Chemistry classes have begun studying atomic structure, making full use of the various interactive educational tools on the Internet. In physics Mr Bowen's Gr11 class has been examining magnitude and measurement by looking at things from the smallest particles in an atom to the size of the universe. Mr Saranam's Gr 8 class has been making their own salt crystals, while in Mr Bennett's Gr8 class they have begun to build scale models of the solar system.

Miss Kitchener is also running a Chemistry Club for students as part of the school's co-curricular programme and already many students have signed up. We hope to have them make regular contributions to this blog.

Overall it has been a great start to the year and it is fantastic to see our students so active and happy in not only their science classes but across the whole school.

Before we sign off, can you work out the name of the atom that appears at the top of today's post? Answer in the next post!

Jensen Hjorth - Head of Science, on behalf of the SJI International Science Department.