Welcome to the Practical Chemistry website.
Experiments available on this site are listed below in alphabetical order. The experiments can also be accessed by topic – see the the left-hand navigation list. However, until more experiments are loaded onto the website, it is easier to find experiments via this page.
Over 100 experiments
Here are all the experiments we have published. There are more in the pipeline so please check back soon. See this list of experiments for what's to come.
A colourful oscillating reaction
A giant silver mirror
A reversible reaction involving hydrated copper (II) sulfate and its anhydrous form
A solid-solid reaction
A test to distinguish between ethanol and methanol
A thermometric titration
Acid-base neutralisation – a microscale titration
Acid or alkali? Acidic or alkaline?
Addition polymerisation
Alkali metals
Allotropes of sulphur
Ammonia fountain
Ammonium dichromate volcano
An equilibrium involving chromate(VI) and dichromate(VI) ions
An equilibrium involving copper(II) ions
An oscillating reaction
Anodising aluminium
'Cannon Fire'
Catalysts for the thermal decomposition of potassium chlorate
Catalysis of the reaction between sodium thiosulfate and hydrogen peroxide
Catalysis of the reaction between sodium thiosulfate solution and iron(III) nitrate solution
Catalysis of the reaction between zinc and sulfuric acid
Chemicals from seawater
Chemiluminescence - cold light
Chocolate and Egg
Chocolate and structure
Chromatography of leaves
Chromatography of sweets
Colourful electrolysis
Cooking potatoes
Cracking hydrocarbons
Cracking hydrocarbons on a microscale
Decolourising and deodorising
Detecting starch in food
Determination of Relative Atomic Mass
Determining relative molecular masses by weighing gases
Determining the relative molecular mass of butane
Developing a glue
Diffusion in liquids
Diffusion of gases – ammonia and hydrogen chloride
Disappearing plastic!
Displacement series for non-metals?
Distribution of iodine between two immiscible solvents
Dyeing – three colours from the same dye-bath
Electrolysing molten lead(II) bromide
Electrolysis of copper(II) sulfate solution
Electrolysis of zinc chloride
Emulsifiers
Endothermic solid-solid reactions
Energy values of food
Equilibria involving carbon dioxide in aqueous solution
Estimating of the concentration of domestic bleach
Exothermic or endothermic?
Exothermic metal-acid reactions
Exothermic metal displacement reactions
Experiments with hydrogels – plant water storage crystals
Experiments with hydrogels – hair gel and disposable nappies
Exploding balloons
Exploding bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen
Exothermic or endothermic?
Extraction of iron from a match head
Extracting iron from breakfast cereal
Extracting iodine from seaweed
Fat-pan fire!
Fermentation of glucose using yeast
Finding the formula of copper oxide
Finding the formula of hydrated copper(II) sulfate
Flame colours demonstration
Formation of a sol
Halogen reactions with iron
Heat energy from alcohols
Heating group 1 metals in air and in chlorine
How can hardness in water be removed?
How do acids and alkalis react?
How much air is used during rusting?
Identifying polymers
Identifying the products of combustion
Identifying the products of electrolysis
Indicators and dry ice: demonstration
Investigating the solubilities of lead halides
Involvement of catalysts in reactions
Iodine clock reaction
Iron and sulfur reaction
Le Chatelier's Principle: the effect of concentration and temperature on equilibrium
Le Chatelier's Principle: the effect of concentration on equilibrium
Le Chatelier’s principle: the equilibrium between nitrogen dioxide and dinitrogen tetroxide
Liquefying chlorine gas
Magic' writing
Making a crystal garden
Making a photographic print
Making a plastic from potato starch
Making a pH indicator
Making an alloy (solder)
Making and testing ammonia
Making esters from alcohols and acids
Making glass
Making magnesium carbonate: an example of a salt that is insoluble in water
Making rayon
Measuring heat energy of fuels
Melting and freezing stearic acid
Metals and acids
Microbes and bread making using yeast
Microbes, milk and enzymes – souring process
Microscale extraction of copper
Microscale preparation of ethyl benzoate
Microscale reactions of chlorine
Migration of ions
Modelling alloys with plasticine
Money to burn
Neutralisation - curing acidity
pH of oxides
pH scale
Particles in motion
Phenol-methanal polymerisation
Preferential discharge of cations during electrolysis
Preparing a soluble salt by neutralisation
Preparing an insoluble salt
Preparing salts by neutralisation with oxides and carbonates
Preventing rusting
Properties of alkali metal compounds
Properties of hydrogen chloride
Purification of an impure solid
PVA polymer slime
Quantitative electrolysis of aqueous copper(II) sulfate
Rate of evaporation
Rate of reaction of magnesium with hydrochloric acid
Rates and rhubarb
Reacting copper(II) oxide with sulfuric acid
Reaction of zinc with iodine
Reaction between aluminium and iodine
Reactions of chlorine, bromine and iodine with aluminium
Reactions of positive ions with sodium hydroxide (microscale version)
Rechargeable commercial cells: the lead-acid accumulator
Recovering pure water from a solution using a water condenser
Recovering water from copper sulfate solution
Red, white and blue
Separating sand and salt
Silver and lead halides
Sodium ethanoate stalagmite
Solid mixtures – a tin and lead solder
Solubility patterns among anions of the Group 7 elements
Spontaneous exothermic reaction
Sublimation of air freshener
Sulfuric acid as a dehydrating agent
Supercooling - the energetics of freezing
Testing for enzymes
Testing the hardness of water
The acidic reactions of ethanoic acid
The alcohol 'gun'
The 'blue bottle' experiment
The 'breathalyser' reaction
The causes of rusting
The change in mass when magnesium burns
The combustion of iron wool
The conversion of ethanol to bromoethane
The copper envelope
The cornflour ‘bomb'
The dehydration of ethanol
The density of ice
The equilibrium between Co(H2O)62+ and CoCl42- in aqueous solution
The fractional distillation of crude oil
The hydration of alkenes
The 'old Nassau' clock reaction
The oxidation of alcohols
The oxidation of cyclohexanol by nitric acid
The oxidation of cyclohexanol by potassium dichromate(VI)
The part that water plays in acidity
The photochemical reactions of chlorine with hydrogen and with methane
The position of iron in the reactivity series
The properties of alcohols
The reaction of ethyne with chlorine
The reaction of magnesium with copper(II) oxide
The real reactivity of aluminium
The thermal properties of water
The thermite reaction
The ‘Whoosh’ Bottle Demonstration
Thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate
Thermal decomposition of metal carbonates
The thermal decomposition of nitrates - 'writing with fire'
Titrating sodium hydroxide with hydrochloric acid
To find out if tap water and sea water contain dissolved solids
Trends in the solubility of metal halides – a microscale experiment
Turning copper coins into 'silver' and 'gold'
Turning 'red wine' into 'water'
Universal Indicator rainbow
Unsaturation in fats and oils
Urea-methanal polymerisation
Using indigestion tablets to neutralise an acid
Water expands when it freezes
What are the dissolved solids in sea water?
What makes a substance acidic?
Where does carbon come in the reactivity series?
Which ions cause hardness in water?
Which substances conduct electricity?
