Blog
The 2026 Nobel Prize for Chemistry
The Nobel prize for Chemistry this year celebrates the pioneering work of Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai on homochirality - the synthesis of just the required enantiomer of chiral compounds and not the mirror...
The importance of using clear English in IB chemistry
Why using clear English is important when communicating in chemistry. This blog gives examples of two past IB questions where the language used to phrase the questions can lead to different interpretations...
The subject report and errors in the exam papers
This blog stresses the importance of the chemistry subject reports. It focuses particularly on the recommendations and guidance for teaching future students and why this is also important to those setting,...
Using real examples to reinforce understanding
Recently clopidogrel has been shown to be more effective with less side-effects than aspirin when given to prevent heart attacks. This blog shows how the structures of clopidogrel and aspirin can be used...
Unnecessary equations?
This blog questions whether IB chemistry is becoming too reliant on simply plugging data into given equations rather than encouraging students to think through problems using their understanding of the...
Teaching 1H NMR
My first Blog post! Students find getting to grips with proton NMR to be a real challenge. However, I find that if I can help them break it down into all the component pieces of information that together...
Could your fitness tracker be forever?
fitness tracker (image Amazon) Could your smart watch or fitness tracker, or, more precisely, its strap, be forever? For their Scientific Investigation (IA) students are told they should investigate the...
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IB Chemistry Holiday Crossword (and solution)
When you are relaxing and have got some time to spare over the holiday period you might like to try to solve this crossword which I've made up. You can download a pdf of the grid and the clues either...
Conceptual learning and baobab trees
In the new guide (page 17) it states that conceptual learning leads towards adapting previous understandings, and identifying and dispelling misconceptions. One of the real benefits of including options...
Dark oxygen from the deep sea-bed
Every so often a discovery is made that changes the beliefs that we hold about science. It has been generally accepted that the oxygen that is formed in the sea (as opposed to that which is dissolved...