Australia's Science Forum

How did they go today ? It went well. One teacher didn't want the pluck yet so I'm hoping it's still ok when he decides to look at it. Everything finished defrosting enough in the fridge overnight. I will be asking if I can get them fresh next time I order. Individually packaged sounds much more co...

I haven't purchased one, but cider house tech has them on their website.

I will know for next time - thank you! The place I got them from gave them to me already frozen and smooshed together in a big bag. I defrosted them enough to separate into 2 class sets and then refroze so my concern was more the smell than the safety for eating. The last time we did this was how I ...

I have hearts (x16) and plucks (x2) that were frozen. I took them out at about 8:45am and at 2:30pm they still have ice on them! They are needed at 11am tomorrow. Is it too risky leaving them in my sink overnight? I was planning to put them in the fridge when I leave this afternoon... but I am worri...

:cheesy: Ah yes... "sensible"... At my old school I discovered a broken mercury thermometer in one of my prep room drawers. I don't know how long it had been there and how long the little balls of mercury had been rolling around! I also had a not-at-all-sensible teacher (again, at my old s...

That looks really good, macca!

Ours are still in their box. We don't have enough wall space to display them at this stage, but... "when we get new labs..." ...I will make sure they are up for all to see!

I haven't heard anything about Mercury being banned from schools? The old thermometers have been for years. We still have a sample inside a small glass container sealed inside another labeled container for viewing only kids are allowed to feel the total weight of the container. RiskAssess still has...

labbiejess wrote: ↑07 Mar 2024, 10:36

With regards to having mercury banned from schools since last year sometime is there a particular time that it needs to be removed from the premises? Where would I get this information from?

Is this an official thing? I haven't seen anything about it.

I'm trying to set up my lime water still... Does anyone know what size rubber bung with 2 holes fits in the top of a winchester? I have ones that are too big or two small. I did find a cork one that fits (no holes) but none of the measurements match any of the 2 hole rubber bung options I've found ...

I'm trying to set up my lime water still... Does anyone know what size rubber bung with 2 holes fits in the top of a winchester? I have ones that are too big or two small. I did find a cork one that fits (no holes) but none of the measurements match any of the 2 hole rubber bung options I've found o...

Where do you get your rats from these days? I got some frozen ones from raticoolreptile@hotmail.com a couple of years ago but haven't had a response to my email this year. Does anyone know if they are still in business?

We are in conversation with westlab now. I wondered if there were other suppliers but they seem to be the only ones! What they have looks good so hopefully the school will agree to spend some $$...

I have done a search for lab refurbishments but most seem to be quite old. We have been given 2 weeks to come up with suggestions/requests for an upgrade to one of our labs to make it prac-only because our class sizes have increased but not quite enough to add extra classes. Currently our labs have ...

Merilyn1 wrote: ↑13 Feb 2024, 08:06 Maybe they just hit the ground and kept running, away...

ooohhh.... that sounds like a plan!!

mtg wrote: ↑12 Feb 2024, 15:08 Welcome back to you all too. Invite all your labbie friends to get back onto chemtalk, I miss the daily discussions. It's a lonely job when you're the only school lab tech for miles.

I was thinking this yesterday as well! Very quiet. Perhaps everyone has hit the ground running this year?

I did some further googling after posting here (I had done a little bit before asking) and found that Iron (III) oxide turns black at before 500deg then back to reddish brown at room temp so I'm going to give that a go.... I can remember years ago Smiley brought it up (sometime between 2007 and 2013...

Hi everyone, I need your help! What is a compound that changes colour when heated but doesn't actually undergo a chemical reaction? It just changes colour and then as it cools it returns to the original colour. I'm having a mental blank. I haven't done this one for a few years and despite searching ...

has anyone just made up a gelatine based jelly instead of jelly packets? would you bother flavouring it?

It's lumina which is an Aldi brand. I have worked out they've changed the brand name and some of the specs but managed to find a manual for a more recent model. It does not go up to the recommended psi but there's not much I can do about that! The first batch has just finished so when it has cooled ...

So the time has come for me to pressure cook the life out of the agar plates... I haven't done it since being at this school and it's been more than 10 years since I left my previous school... I had an old pressure cooker I used on the hotplate there and would just have it cooking away for a very lo...