Chemicals from rocks
A collection of Catalyst resources about chemicals from rocks.
Carbon Dioxide
A Catalyst article about carbon dioxide which can be used as a solvent in industry, or as a regulator of blood pH.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 14, Issue 4.
Iron
A Catalyst article about iron, a relatively abundant element that humans have made widespread use of since the Iron Age (about 750 BC).
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2006, Volume 16, Issue 3.
Has the Sea Always Been So Salty?
A Catalyst article about the composition of sea water.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2005, Volume 15, Issue 3.
Minerals and Rock Structure
A Catalyst article about the rock cycle which is responsible for the formation of many different types of rocks and minerals.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2006, Volume 16, Issue 4.
Salt
A Catalyst article about why human beings need salt (sodium chloride) in their diets to survive, but too much can be toxic.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2007, Volume 17, Issue 3.
Diamonds
A Catalyst article about diamonds.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2007, Volume 17, Issue 4.
Earth's Early Atmosphere
A Catalyst article about how the study of ancient rocks and sediments can help deduce how the Earth's atmosphere has changed over billions of years.
This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2008, Volume 18, Issue 4.
Is Mars Dead?
A Catalyst article explaining how new data suggests that it is very unlikely that life ever existed on Mars.
This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2008, Volume 18, Issue 4.
Exploration Geology - Careers
A Catalyst article about careers in geological exploration.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2007, Volume 17, Issue 4.
Chemistry in a Blast Furnace *suitable for home teaching*
A Catalyst article about chemical reactions that occur in a blast furnace during the steelmaking process.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2006, Volume 16, Issue 3.
Chemistry in a Cage
This Catalyst article explains how zeolites, sponge-like materials developed from naturally occurring minerals, are used as chemical sieves and as catalysts.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2010, Volume 20, Issue 2.
Birth of an Ocean: Africa Splits Apart
This Catalyst article describes how, as two tectonic plates separate, wide fissures appear in the ground in northern Ethiopia.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2010, Volume 21, Issue 2.
Soil - the Final Frontier
A Catalyst article about the organisms which live in soil. Many, such as worms and mycorrhizal fungi, are vital for keeping soil healthy and productive.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2010, Volume 21, Issue 2.
Drilling Down/At Sea with Chikyu
A Catalyst article about Chikyu, a Japanese drilling ship capable of boring through the Earth's crust.
This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2011, Volume 21, Issue 3.
The Sand Beneath Your Feet
This Catalyst article explains how studying sand can reveal both the geological and biological history of a local environment as sand varies from place to place.
This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2011, Volume 22, Issue 1.
Volcanoes from Space
This Catalyst article describes how the distribution of volcanoes across the Earth’s surface tells scientists about the underlying pattern of tectonic plates.
This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2011, Volume 22, Issue 1.
Cum Grano Salis
This Catalyst article looks at salt, in particular the process of extracting salt from the sea in the salt factories of Trapani in Sicily.
The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2012, Volume 23, Issue 1.
Fracking: an Energy Revolution?
This Catalyst article looks at hydraulic fracking, the process of breaking up rocks deep underground using high-pressure water mixed with sand and chemicals.
This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2013, Volume 23, Issue 3.
Mount Etna - Europe's Biggest Volcano
This Catalyst article takes a look at Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily, the biggest and tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world.
This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2013, Volume 23, Issue 4.
Focus on Palladium
This Catalyst article explains the properties of this metal, and how it can be used for a vast array of objects.
This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2013, Volume 24, Issue 2.
Printing in Three Dimensions
This Catalyst article looks at 3D printing, a new technology which is rapidly finding applications.
This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2013, Volume 24, Issue 2.
Chemistry and Paint
This Catalyst article describes the different techniques of developing paint.
The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 1.
Going for Gold
This Catalyst article investigates how gold is an important metal which, when extracted from its ore, has useful properties of durability and electrical conductivity.
The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2015, Volume 26, Issue 2.