Australia's Science Forum

Can anyone recommend where to buy retort clamps? They don’t get used often so we probably don’t need the best quality… The best I’ve found so far is science supply for $10.50 each (cork lined 4 prong). I’m hoping to get 30 of them.

Anna Z wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 09:32 We don't even really soak.... students dip, swirl around a bit then burn away.

Perfect! I'll plan on that for next time!

Marama T wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 08:55 Why do you need to seal the jar? I just soak them in a beaker.

For leaving them overnight, mostly, but also easy transport to the labs. How long do the paddle pop sticks need to be immersed for so they don't burn too soon?

For those who do the paddle pop sticks/toothpicks in a specimen jar to soak, what sizes do you use? The 120ml specimen jar is not quite big enough to seal it with the paddle pop sticks inside, but too big for the mini paddle pop sticks. The smaller jars also don't seal with the mini paddle pop stick...

Does anyone know if berocca still comes in cans suitable for this purpose? 2012 was a long time ago!

Does anyone know what to burn in the spirit lamp? Is metho hot enough to heat the conductivity stars? Tea light candles aren't hot enough and bunsens are too hot.

Do you plug into the AC or DC power supply? Neither seem to be working! 12V with H2SO4. I've cut and stripped the wires on the platinum electrodes as they looked a bit broken and rusty but that hasn't made a difference.

Ok now for the next stage of my prep-room revamp.... how do you store your droppers? As in shelving solutions. I have the unitrays for keeping sets together. I googled dropper storage system just to see what came up and got a heap of YouTube videos for Minecraft :cheesy: Not quite what I was looking...

Thank you!

Interesting... That's what we had at my prevous school (0.1 and 1M) but they seem to use a variety of concentrations here! Maybe because they were just "there"? I don't know... we've got 5M, 6M and 2.5M of some things.... I just thought maybe things had changed over the years I wasn't work...

Do you guys swap your droppers out for caps for all concentrations of acid or only the stronger ones? Just the stronger ones for us. Is 4M HCl ok or would you put a cap on that? Thanks! I'm slowly re-labelling and cleaning out the acids and don't want to lose any more droppers to acids destroying t...

Do you guys swap your droppers out for caps for all concentrations of acid or only the stronger ones?

Ours are just in a tub under each station. Bunsen, tripod, heatproof mats, etc all in one tub and it all gets thrown back in at the end of the lesson. Usually the time taken to clean up after a prac is long enough for the bunsen to cool down so it hasn't been a problem. If the prac runs a bit late t...

That had crossed my mind as well, but just can't find anything to confirm it!

I did a quick search and couldn't find anything... are there any conferences coming up this year other than conasta (which I can't get to )?

Does anyone know what v.s. means on the prepared slides? I can work out/look up most of the others but this one I am stumped on. Specifically looking at a lung tissue sample, but I know I've seen it on other slides as well. Google hasn't helped!

I'd be interested, too. How long do they last on glass? How easy is it to remove? I agree - students would be less likely to write on desks etc with them. We actually used to use them on the BA board and tally tags (to keep track of where everyone is on the fire ground etc) when I was a fire fighte...

OK perhaps I should have googled first! They are the same as a chinagraph pencil. I've just never seen coloured ones before! Anyway, I'm still interested in learning if anyone uses them at school

Has anyone ever heard of these? https://www.chemtalk.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=451/product/42055/grease-pencil-for-glass-writing/ If the link doesn't work, go to Wiltronics and look up grease pencil. They are obviously more expensive than permanent markers, but possibly less risky for being st...

Thanks! That's what I suspected, but couldn't find anything for any type of litmus just to be sure. It's such a crazy messed up system...