Chemistry in your cupboard

Welcome

How is chemistry used to clean your dishes?

How does chemistry make stains disappear?

How can chemistry dissolve hair safely?

These questions and many more are answered in this new website which describes the chemistry that underlies nine well-known, household products from the range produced by Reckitt Benckiser .The products range from pharmaceuticals (Nurofen, Gaviscon) to cleaning materials (Cillit Bang, Finish). Each section explores the chemistry of these products at a level suitable for post-16 students and covers a wide range of chemical principles and topics. Questions are included throughout to encourage learning and test understanding. The material has been produced with the help of product specialists from Reckitt Benckiser so it is guaranteed to be accurate and up to date.

How to use this material

The web-based format includes a number of interactive features,such as links to other web sites and rotatable 3-D molecular structures. The answers to questions are initially hidden but can be revealed by the student as a self-test of his/her understanding and to keep them ‘on track’ as they work through the material. Additionally, each piece can be downloaded as a Microsoft Office Word™ document which can be printed and used in hard copy form. In this case the answers to questions are provided separately and teachers are free to edit the material as they wish.

The site can be used for revision towards the end of a post-16 course and can form the basis of comprehension exercises, tests or homeworkall set in everyday contexts showing ‘how science works’.

In one or two cases, suggestions are made for practical activities which could be used along with the written material.

Credits and acknowledgements

The Royal Society of Chemistry gratefully acknowledges that this project has been supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Reckitt Benckiser.

The web site design and revised programming by Learning Science Ltd. Original content supplied by reckitt Benkiser and Presenting Science.