A quarter of a century of analytical chemistry competition

AUTHOR: John McCullagh

The Northern Ireland heat of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Schools’ Analyst competition was recently held at Stranmillis University College Belfast, marking 25 years of this popular sixth-form chemistry event.

Over the years the event, organised by the local members of the Analytical Division, has showcased the important role of analytical chemistry in the food, pharmaceutical and environmental industries.

This year students had to carry out experiments to determine the sodium hypochlorite content of household bleaches, the total acid content of white wine, and the iron content of the recently-released sugar-free formulation of IRN BRU.

Silver Anniversary

To mark this ‘silver’ anniversary of the event we sought feedback from our schools on how the competition supported their work in school. We were delighted with the extremely positive comments and the high regard in which this annual event is held! Such is the enthusiasm from students to participate in this event that some schools have to hold their own mini competition to select the final team of three analysts to represent their school.

All respondents commended that the experiments demonstrated how the theory and practical skills taught in school are applied to real-life analysis involving off-the-shelf everyday products. The challenge of following instructions and performing calculations within a time limit were viewed as ideal preparation for forthcoming practical exams and assessment tasks at AS and A2 level. The event was considered to enhance students’ confidence and interest in chemistry and provided the opportunity to meet fellow chemistry students from other schools.

As we wish our Ballyclare analysts well for the final in June, we look forward to the next twenty-five years!

For further information about this event contact John McCullagh.