Chemistry Week at Trent College

Students from Trent College have been taking part in food related activities as part of national Chemistry Week, stimulating their interest in science, and their taste buds!

Themed weeks are organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) every two years to promote a positive image of Chemistry. Talking about how Trent College have been involved this year, Head of Chemistry, Dr Carrie-Ann Wakerley, said: 'Chemistry week is designed to promote the chemical sciences and show how much impact they have on our everyday lives. This year the theme is "food" so we have tried to relate the chemistry that the students are studying to food topics and have a lot of fun in the process.'

Trent College students from all age groups took part in a range of food related activities throughout the week. Year 8 Chemistry Club made gelatine air fresheners and extracted iron from cornflakes, Sixth Form students made plastic from potatoes, extracted limonene from oranges, and made ice cream with Year 5 pupils from Trent College's Junior school, The Elms, all of whom thoroughly enjoyed tasting their finished product!

As well as conducting experiments of their own, students from the Year 9 were entertained by Graeme Jones, award winning Chemical Ecologist who is a senior lecturer at Keele University. Dr Jones' passion for his subject emanated during his interactive and fragrant lecture 'Sex, Flies and Smelly Sticky Tape', where he talked to students about chemical attraction in the insect world, let them smell some potent 'pheromones' and encouraged them to dance like molecules!

A SENSE-ATIONAL photographic display from the Royal Society of Chemistry completed the information available to students about this fascinating subject.