JORNADES DE QUÍMICA INTERACTIVA 2016

El dijous 28 de gener els alumnes de 2n de batxillerat que cursen les matèries de Química i Tecnologia Industrial van assistir a les Jornades de Química Interactiva a la UAB.

Crònica jornades de química

El 28 de gener de 2015, els alumnes de 2n de Batxillerat de la modalitat científica i tecnològica ens vam endinsar en el món de la química per un dia.
La Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ens va obrir les portes a unes Jornades de Química Interactiva amb l’objectiu de potenciar el nostre interès per la química. Ens van sorprendre, inicialment, amb l’exposició d’una casa química on s’hi indicava de què estaven formats el mobiliari i els productes que ens podríem trobar en qualsevol casa. Després ens vam posar bates i ulleres i per unes hores ens vam convertir en petits químics i vam  endinsar-nos en aquells laboratoris tan diferents dels de l’escola.
Vam aprendre a descobrir metalls pesants en mostres d’aigua, a crear polímers, vam descobrir tècniques per fer visibles les empremtes dactilars i fins i tot vam veure com actuava el nitrogen líquid amb alguns materials.
Però el més important i amb el que ens vam quedar de la sortida, va ser el saber treballar en equip, moure’s per un laboratori, conèixer-ne algunes de les normes i prevencions que són necessàries, i entendre la importància que té la química en el nostre món, tant avui en dia, com en un futur.

Queralt González

A glimpse of chemistry

Thursday the 28th of January the UAB organized an event with the objective of promoting and increasing the youth’s interest for chemistry. We, the scientific pupils in IES Manolo Hugué, assisted it and it’s a matter of fact that we all found it potentially motivating and instructing.

Our day began with a brief introduction to the general knowledge of chemistry and everything related to it, followed by an exposition with quotidian objects and a sum up of information of their main chemical structures causing some of their physical and biological features.

In the meanwhile we were put up into groups of approximately 32 people with which we were sent to a computers room to be introduced to the theoretical fundament that would explain our later experiences in the lab.

Once we were done with the computers we were given a break to start metalizing ourselves to the idea of working in the lab and have a glimpse to the note book we were hanged out. It described and explained step by step, either theoretically or practically speaking, the vary experiments o experiences we had to do once we got there.

The whole activity was thought to do in pairs, and so we did, we entered the lab received a pair of protection glasses and a coat and got hands to work.

The first experience described a scenario where a lorry wasted a mysterious substance into a river and we had to find out which substance it was.

Straight after it we witnessed how “luminol”, a substance used to detect the presence of blood, reacted with iron. It’s chemical explanation is that when luminol reacts with iron (which has a presence in blood’s haemoglobin) it excites the molecule dislodging a photon creating luminescence.

We proceeded with the experience creating a polymer using a series of alcohols mixed with a sodium solution, once the mixture was done we dropped it in a vase and let it polymerase. After a few minutes resting the substance got a jelly consistency and the colour of the dye why had applied.

Having done this with enough time we decided to keep on making all sort of experiments, one of them consisted in exposing some balloons to the freezing temperature of liquid hydrogen. (-197ºC) we observed that in a constant pressure and cold temperatures, the volum of any object has to be reduced to follow the relation between them.

To make it a day we concluded with a simple way to obtain fingerprints from a paper. We exposed the paper that someone had previously touched to the heat of a lighter and saw how slowly the sample of the fingerprint got clearer and clearer due to the burning of fat in the raising heat.

Personally I found the experience very didactic and dynamic, it was impossible to get bored or lost if you had a previous knowledge of chemistry, either slim or great, and a great way of raising interest and questions on a young mind as ours. I would willingly do it again. And I propose it to anyone who has the chance of doing it not to miss it.

Jacob Massey