Investigating serious crimes such as murder, rape and terrorism requires forensic science experts. These people work alongside the police to find the evidence that will bring the culprit to court.

In this Catalyst article, Tony Hargreaves looks at criminal poisoning and shows how forensic science is used to...

These are science resources will encourage and enable students to get involved with practical science. A wide selection of materials is presented within each resource, allowing a teacher to tailor the activities for a specific group of students.

The resources in this section are:

*Coastline Protection...

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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These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Interpret an ionic formula as representing the ratio of ions.
• Recognise the limitations of what is represented by a dot and cross diagram.
• Recognise the uses and...

This resource was funded by the UK Space Agency and developed by ESERO-UK and CIEC Promoting Science. It is based upon the quest to discover more about the solar system through space projects such as the European Space Agency’s Aurora programme, and NASA’s Curiosity mission seeking to gather evidence of life on the...

This Science upd8 resource focuses on the chemical PFOA (perflurooctanoic acid), which is used in Teflon manufacture and is reportedly linked with an increase in the risk of developing allergies. In this activity students examine some of the evidence surrounding PFOA and consider a range of viewpoints.

This Unilever Laboratory Experiment, published in 1966, describes the use of steam distillation to separate oil from crushed cloves. The method for extracting the eugenol from the oil used carbon tetrachloride (tetrachloromethane) and so would need to be modified before this could now be done in schools and...

This Catalyst article looks at how jewellery is traditionally made from metals such as gold, silver and platinum because these metals may be found in their native state and are corrosion-resistant.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2011, Volume 22, Issue 2.

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This Salters’ Chemistry Course unit from the University of York Science Education Group covered:
* The use of soaps and soapless detergents.
* Emulsions and the action of emulsifiers.
* The hardness of water.
* The manufacture and use of cosmetics,...

In this lesson from the Science and Technology Council (STFC), students use an experiment to see if carbon dioxide does cause global warming. The lesson starts with a presentation which raises questions to be answered by the experiment. Students are asked to evaluate the method and results before planning and...

In this resource form the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), students are asked to evaluate the evidence about climate change and think about ways to manage the worst of its effects. Students learn about the ways of modelling the effects using computers using data and knowledge of physical processes...