Australia's Science Forum

The first time I saw the flour in the can experiment the explosion blew the lid off the tin and it just missed the fluorescent light fitting in the chemistry lab. The last time we did it was for Science week and apparently it was a flop. I wasn't there for the demo. So what type of flour should be u...

Maybe I'll just hang on to it for a little longer. Might try it out with the exploding lid off the can demo. I like a little pyrotechnics. Campfire magic hmmmmm. Thanks Smiley.

Lycopodium is regarded as a flammable solid. I still have a small quantity in stock but noone has ever asked for it in all the time I have been here (loooooong time) and I think it may be time to dispose of it forever.

I have locked cages on all my gas bottles. Your gas supplier may be able to advise about security for your bottles or a registered plumber who is certified to work with gas.

Same here except the copper sulfate is usually 0.5M. It makes a nicer purple. Gives it that WOW! factor.

Normally I think you would just hire the Dewar flask at the same time as you order the liquid nitrogen. Check with your liquid nitrogen supplier. We have also had ours delivered and the carrier brings it straight to the prep room. The supplier picks up the flask the next day. We have used the liquid...

It's magic. Just tried it out on my dropper bottles. Pour in, swirl and pour back into the beaker for the next bottle. Then rinse and leave on drying rack. Thank you for the information.

Just do a search on here for "Getting it to work - Physics equipment for high school". or Google the same thing. You will find curriculum support with each chapter separate. The images are old but the information may give you some assistance with setting up the audio generator with your os...

Alright, I confess. I was not a proponent of M&M's when the first teacher put this prac forward. But someone out in Scienceland was hoping to make science entertaining and it was a lightbulb moment when whoever writes these science textbooks was able to see the value of entertainment with reward...

Where's the fun in wooden blocks and plastic counters. Someone has already gone to the trouble of putting an M on one side of a round sugar coated multi coloured chocolate disc. The incentive is there to play the game and enjoy eating the end product. Sometimes there are leftovers for the lab tech t...

I get the majority of my SDS's from the Chem Supply site. It's sort of on speed dial. What I can't trace through there I use Science Lab.com as back up. I use the DIGGERS site for SDS's on methylated spirits and kerosene which I usually buy from Bunnings. The infosafe site is a paying site. For maki...

Hi Rita, I think you may need to ask for a separate flammables cupboard for your flammable liquids. I have always been under the impression that flammables must be stored separately to acids in separate purpose built cupboards. What is the feedback from you other labbies out there on this issue. You...

If you removed a body from a plant nursery to a dump site in a built up area then the the fertiliser test would help identify possible place of death. It was just a thought.

The smell is when you don't have the opportunity to clean up directly after the prac and you walk in next day to the smell of dead animal. Extracting rotting liver from measuring cylinders or test tubes is vile and time consuming. You could point out to your new Bio teacher that there are far more h...

Our test and tag is done yearly. It may be costly but I believe it has something to do with WHS, safety in the workplace, safety for the students that each school has a duty of care towards and it is also an insurance issue for all schools.

The cyclohexane and cyclohexene will go into a labelled organics waste bottle and be stored in your flammables cupboard. I don't think you will need separate bottles. Whatever organic chemicals you put in this bottle just make sure that it is labelled with the appropriate chemical labels so that whe...

I am responsible only for the science chemical register. I have provided copies of the safety data sheets for my chemicals to admin and these have gone to the maintenance office to be on file in case of an emergency. There is also a copy of my chemical register, on excel spreadsheet, with the admini...

Alright, don't leave us guessing. What did you do?

It's a Tollen's silver mirror practical. Do a search on our lab tech site for Tollen's reagent and you will find a method for the prac and safety notes to follow.

Betcha it stands for "laugh my a--- off". In politer terms - rear end. Am I right Ocker?