EMBLEY NEWS
Unlocking mysteries in Chemistry
Year 12 chemists visited Bath University to swap theory for real-world experimentation. Tasked with synthesising and recrystallising aspirin, they aimed for high yields and minimal by-products, some students were so successful they requested a ‘supersized’ weighing boat!
Each pair worked independently in their own fume cupboard allowing them to take charge of every step. Calculations were scribbled onto Perspex sashes, turning workspaces into transparent displays of chemical creativity. From synthesis to purification and IR spectrometry, students showed not only technical skill but growing confidence in the lab. They tackled the industrial chemist’s gold standard, percentage yield, comparing their actual results with theoretical values. One of Bath University’s technicians, impressed by a standout performance, put it best: “Now there’s a real chemist—we’ll have him.” It was a moment that captured not just scientific skill, but the spark of future potential.
