Nuffield seminar: outdoor science

Chemistry Trails

Dr Peter Borrows

30th March 2010The School of Education, Birmingham University

Concrete stalactites?

Making cement3CaCO3(s) + Al4Si4O10(OH)8(s)

Ca3SiO5(s) + Al4Si3O12(s) + 4H2O(g) + 3CO2(g)

CaCO3(s) CaO(s) + CO2(g)

Cement settingCaO(s) + CO2(g) CaCO3(s)

Some CaO remains unreacted

Water leaches through the concreteCaO(s) + H2O(l) Ca(OH)2(s)

Ca(OH)2(s) + aq Ca(OH)2(aq)

Yes, you get lime water

Some CaO remains unreacted

Water leaches through the concreteCaO(s) + H2O(l) Ca(OH)2(s)

Ca(OH)2(s) + aq Ca(OH)2(aq)

Yes, you get lime waterCa(OH)2(aq) + CO2(g) CaCO3(s) + H2O(l)

• Visit your local

Laboratory for the Investigation of Long-term Corrosion

Why bother with chemistry trails / outdoor chemistry?

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Chemistry doesn’t just happen in test tubes.

Why ITT?

Using chemistry trail ideas with children

• Take the class on a local walk• Set a homework for them to find 3 examples

of protecting iron from corrosion (& take a picture with their mobile phone?)

• A project for the G&T to produce a trail around the school

Sources of ideas• Borrows, P., 1984, The Pimlico chemistry trail,

School Science Review, 66 (235), 221-233.• Borrows, P., 2006, Chemistry outdoors, School

Science Review, 87(320), 23-31.• Borrows, P (2004) Chemistry Trails. in

Learning Science Outside the Classroom, eds. Braund, M. and Reiss, M. pp 151 – 168. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

• Borrows, P Education in Chemistry, ca. 500 words in 2-3 issues per year since 1994

• peter@borrows.demon.co.uk