This article from Catalyst looks at ionic liquids which are a developing area in chemistry. Ionic liquids are liquids which have the potential to provide greener ways of carrying out chemical processes.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 2.

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A Catalyst article about iron, a relatively abundant element that humans have made widespread use of since the Iron Age (about 750 BC). The article explores the extraction of iron ore, the chemistry of iron and the blast furnace process.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2006, Volume 16,...

This Catalyst article looks into Alzheimer’s disease which affects around 465 000 people in the UK, with the number of sufferers is growing as the population ages. It is a form of dementia that causes cell death in the brain and leads to memory loss and mood swings. The article investigates whether the presence of...

A Catalyst article explaining how new data suggests that it is very unlikely that life ever existed on Mars. When the presence of water was confirmed a few years ago, there was a lot of speculation that at least simple life forms had once lived there as water is essential for every known living organism. The latest...

A Catalyst article examining if there are harmful chemicals in farmed fish. Oily fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel contain plenty of protein, vitamins and the right sort of fats. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are released when fats are digested. The human body uses these fatty acids to...

A Catalyst article about the Kepler spacecraft, which is used to look for extra-solar planets. Scientists are hoping to shine light on the age old question of life’s existence elsewhere in the Universe using a new space-based telescope named Kepler. Launched on 6 March 2009, Kepler is searching the sky for small,...

All life forms on Earth are based on organic biochemistry. This activity requires students to analyse an unknown soil sample (just recovered from a space mission to another planet!) and look for signs of possible indicators for life. Curriculum areas covered:

• Cell biology
• Food tests, including...

This report identified the alarming disparity between the proportions of students studying mathematics beyond the age of 16.  At that time only one-fifth of pupils in England continued to study maths at any level after achieving a GCSE - the lowest of 24 developed countries. A key recommendation from the report was...

Newton is regarded as one of the most influential physicists and mathematicians of all time and his actual birthday depends upon which calendar is used. Under the Julian calendar which was being used in England at the time Newton was born on Christmas day 1642. However, under the currently used Gregorian calander...

A Catalyst article about scientists publishing their results in journals. Newspapers, magazines and TV programmes are full of stories based on science and technology. But can these articles be trusted? This article looks at the way in which scientists try to ensure that their own publications are reliable. It makes...

This Catalyst article looks at a newspaper report, which carried the headline “It’s life, but not as we know it”, following NASA’s supposed discovery of a ‘second form of life’. The scientific paper, published by the eminent journal Science, even created widespread speculation about the existence of extra-...

A Catalyst article about working in materials science and engineering, the process of deciding which material is best for each application. The structure of materials, processing them and working in jobs and careers with them are explained.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2007, Volume 17,...

Designed for students who have advanced through Scratch and are ready for additional challenge, this resource explores Build Your Own Blocks (BYOB) as a tool for learning modular programming using procedures. 

After examining, briefly, the history of the computer and the Turing Test as a measure of their...

Produced by JIVE (Joint Interventions), this set of information posters are for employers to illustrate how organisations can support and inspire women to enter and progress in Science, Engineering Technology and the Built Environment.