Chemistry students bring exam material to life
Pre-university students can do special chemistry tests at their own school with students from Utrecht University. The traveling practical is fun and educational and offers many other advantages.
Image: Angeliek de Jonge
A gas chromatograph (GC) is a device that looks like a kind of compact laser printer and that can determine the composition of a gas mixture. The technique is part of the exam material for VWO, but the device is too expensive for many secondary schools to purchase.
Chemistry teacher Joris Schouten wondered whether it would not be fun to get the GC in the classroom. It soon became apparent that more lecturers would think that this was a good idea, provided there was a practical involved. Paulien van Bentum, teacher of chemistry practicals at Utrecht University, put the question within the university. “A research group that often works with catalysis turned out to have a GC that was not used,” she says. "It's a beast of a device, but a portable one."
It is a beast of a device, but a portable one.
Together with PhD researcher Laurens Mandemaker, Joris Schouten wrote a lesson letter for a practical on catalysis and gas chromatography. Students will investigate the efficiency of various catalysts in the conversion of methane into carbon dioxide.
Explosions
Project leader Van Bentum found chemistry students willing to give the practical and tested it at a number of secondary schools. “The reactions were very positive. The teachers were enthusiastic because the practical fits perfectly with the curriculum and students found it very educational. Some thought it was a bit boring at first. In chemistry they think of explosions and spectacular colors, but if you heat the gases in the test tube, you don't see anything change. You only see the result when you measure the end product of the reaction in the GC. And then it becomes interesting for students again. ”
A catalyst is a substance that can accelerate a reaction, such as copper. During the practical, students heat a catalyst tube through which they pass a mixture of air and methane. This is converted into CO2 and water, and incomplete combustion also releases carbon monoxide. Students then inject the end product into the GC, which then displays the composition in a nice graph with peaks.
Students discuss with each other what the best catalyst is, also looking at by-products and the price.
The outcomes are jointly discussed in class. “Pupils discuss with each other what the best catalyst is and also look at by-products and the price,” explains Van Bentum. “We work with catalysts such as copper, platinum and palladium, and the latter two, for example, are considerably more expensive. It is interesting to weigh up the differences. ”
Utrecht University conducts a lot of research into how catalysis can make industrial processes more sustainable. Van Bentum: “By using a catalytic converter you can save energy, and with that the practical also addresses an important theme for the future. Moreover, because students themselves work with a GC, the theory becomes more lively than they do alone
see a picture of it in the book. ”
In addition, the practical gives students a glimpse into the kitchen of the university and the professional field. Van Bentum mentions another advantage: “The students experience what it is like to teach. Since they are only a few years older, they often find it quite exciting. But they soon find out that they already know a lot and they also enjoy sharing that knowledge. For many students, being a teacher is not something they think about quickly, but we obviously need them very much given the teacher shortage. ”
Subsidy
The traveling practical has already visited more than fifteen schools. Thanks to a subsidy of 40 euros, Utrecht University will be able to serve even more schools and the University of Twente and the University of Amsterdam will have the opportunity to develop a traveling practical on their own research theme.
The practical at Utrecht University lasts a total of a maximum of four hours, with the teacher taking care of the preparatory and concluding lesson with the help of the lesson letter. The practical lasts two hours and is taught by the students who bring all the necessary materials and equipment with them. A guest lecture by a researcher about catalysis is one of the additional options. The costs are 60 euros plus 30 euros per class. Van Bentum: "It is not cost-effective, but with this contribution we can ensure that we can offer the practical to as many schools as possible."
Interested? Send an email after Paulien van Bentum.
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