Details of this challenging experiment were published in this leaflet from the Unilever Laboratory Experiment in 1965. Requirements included a pyrophoric nickel catalyst supplied by Unilever, hydrogen from a cylinder and a vegetable oil treated with activated charcoal to remove impurities. The necessary apparatus...

This Unilever Laboratory Experiment describes the preparation of soap from a mixture of cooking oil and dripping. The leaflet was first published in 1964 and so lacks modern safety guidance. The procedure is authentic; it is designed to produce a convincing sample of soap. This means that it could be the basis of...

The method of preparation of a sulphonate paste described in this Unilever Laboratory Experiment is basically the same as that used by Unilever in the large-scale production of soapless detergents at the time of publication in 1964. The required reactants included an alkylbenzene hydrocarbon supplied by the...

This Unilever Laboratory Experiment, published in 1969, gives the procedure for using corrosion (ferroxyl) indicator to demonstrate anodic and cathodic areas on the surface of steel as it corrodes.

This Unilever Laboratory Experiment, published in 1970, describes the analysis of fluorescers from soap and soapless detergent powders. The procedure describes how the fluorescers can be extracted from the product, separated by thin layer chromatography techniques, and made visible by exposing the chromatograms to...

A Year Ten module from the Salters’ double award science course. The story-line for this unit is the whole world market for manufactured chemicals and the need to transport them safely to where they are needed. This shows the importance of systems which convey concise,...

This Salters’ Chemistry Course unit from the University of York Science Education Group covered:
* The range of properties of chemicals.
* The use of symbols, formulas and balanced equations.
* The commercial importance of chemicals.
* Factors...

This Salters’ Chemistry Course unit from the University of York Science Education Group covered:
* The use of fuels in keeping warm
* The chemical changes when fuels burn
* Some consequences of the large scale use of fuels.

A Year 11 module from the Salters’ Key Stage Four double award science course. The breakdown of domestic waste is observed. A text exercises describes the processes used in a waste water plant. Natural cycles, including the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle are...

This chemistry extension module of the Salters' Science course revises and extends students’ ideas about the structure and properties of water. It deals with hardness of water, the action of soap and other detergents and properties of emulsions.

This resource looks at the impact of climate change, in particular flooding and drought, and how science can be used to mitigate against it. Students first explore perceptions about climate change, then look at ways to communicate the significance of climate change to different groups of people. They then explore...