There has been widespread interest in the study of oxoacids of phosphorus owing to their characteristic structures and uses in various areas of daily life. In this article, a new strategy is recommended to determine their structures. This strategy will help to develop problem-solving skills and creativity among students. The strategy is based on…

In science lessons many students struggle to apply the principles of rearranging formulae, even after coverage in maths. A structured approach is suggested that focuses on describing a narrative linking cause and effect before explicit mathematical terms are introduced.

This "Science note" arose out of practical work involving the dilution of ethanoic acid, the measurement of the pH of the diluted solutions and calculation of the acid dissociation constant, K[subscript a], for each diluted solution. The students expected the calculated values of K[subscript a] to be constant but they found that the…

This "Science Note" presents a study by Christopher Talbot and Lydia Yap, who teach IB Chemistry at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Republic of Singapore, to pre-university students. Pre-university students may postulate the correlation between the magnitude of the lattice enthalpy compound and its melting point, since both…

Proposes a method for dealing with units that require involvement of units of each physical quantity at every stage of a calculation. Preliminary ideas on algebra and the concept of a physical quantity, equations relating two or more units, calculations of physical quantities, and logarithms are considered. (JM)

Briefly describes the application of thermodynamics (system at equilibrium) to the study of the extraction of metals from their oxides (dynamic situation). It is more relevant to study the temperature variation of the equilibrium constants of the reaction than to study the free energy approach. (Author/SK)