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Anecdotes for chemistry teachers
Browse this collection of stories and surprising facts to engage your students with chemistry in a whole new way
Anecdotes: Fritz Haber
The career of Fritz Haber.
Anecdotes: Gimli Glider
The story of the Air Canada plane that ran out of fuel in mid-air and had to land as a glider, due to a units mix-up when calculating the fuel needed for the journey.
Anecdotes: In the Limelight
The background and chemistry of burning calcium with hydrogen and oxygen to make ‘limelight’.
Anecdotes: Linus Pauling
The life, work and campaigning of Linus Pauling
Anecdotes: Making Aircraft from Seaweed
Creating a balsa wood substitute from calcium alginate for World War 2 aircraft production.
Anecdotes: Matches
The history and chemistry of matches.
Anecdotes: Measuring Lead Levels in Hair
Measuring lead levels in hair using atomic absorption spectrometry.
Anecdotes: Mercury
Mercury poisoning and the origins of the phrase ‘mad as a hatter’.
Anecdotes: Nobel Prize Joke
Nobel prize based humour…
Anecdotes: Nylon
The background to the discovery, naming and production of Nylon.
Anecdotes: Sweet Sensations
The accidental discovery of three artificial sweeteners.
Anecdotes: Teflon
The background to the discovery, naming and uses of Teflon.
Anecdotes: The Discovery of Buckminsterfullerene
The discovery of buckminsterfullerene, the third allotrope of carbon.
Anecdotes: The murder of Rasputin
The story of the attempted murder of Rasputin and why it didn’t work.
Anecdotes: The Nobel Prize
The history and background of the Nobel prizes.
Anecdotes: Thomsons - Discoverers of the electron
The discovery of the electron and the diffraction of an electron beam.
Anecdotes: Winchester Bottles
The original of the Winchester Bottle