STUDENT SUPPLEMENT
NOVEMBER 2008 • VOLUME 45 • NUMBER 6
Clinical
imaging
The power of
NMR in medicine
ISSN 0013-1350
Research funding
Radioactive beams
UK chemists identify their
own ‘grand challenges’
Celebrating the work of
Becquerel and Rutherford
ISSUE  NOVEMBER 
HYDROGEN STORAGE
The portable storage of hydrogen
is key to the exploitation of fuel
cell cars. While many chemists
worldwide focus their attention on
metal alloys and hydrides for the
solution others have had their
heads turned by the potential of
carbon nanotubes (CNTs) – tiny
rolled up sheets of graphite
around 90 000 times thinner than
human hair. The former relies on
chemisorption and the formation
of a new bond between the solid
material and a hydrogen atom. The
latter relies on physisorption –
hydrogen molecules are adsorbed
on the surface of the solid material
by physical attraction alone.
However, to date, while CNTs have
high surface areas and the right
pore size for storing hydrogen,
these structures have not proved
to be the ultimate solution.
In a recent study researchers at
the University of Crete, Greece,
designed a new ‘pillared’ structure
that shows more promise. In a
paper published in the American
Pillared structure
offers high hopes for
hydrogen storage
Bright light
Synchrotron radiation
lights up research
A day in the
life of…
Charlotte Ashley-Roberts,
Formulation scientist
Chemical Society’s journal Nano
Letters, Professor George Froudakis
and his team used computer
modelling to design a structure
made up of parallel graphene
sheets – layers of carbon one atom
thick – stabilised by vertical
columns of CNTs. They added
lithium atoms to the structure to
increase the structure’s hydrogenstorage capacity. According to the
researchers, the charge of the alkali
metal polarises the hydrogen
molecules, and physisorption of H2
is enhanced by a charge-induced
dipole interaction. In theory, say
the researchers, the pillared
structure can store 41 g of
hydrogen per litre, which comes
close to the US Department of
Energy’s target for 2010 of 45 g l–1.
Whether the theoretical structure
will come up to its expectations,
however, is now in the hands of
experimentalists, say the
researchers. Chemists are
challenged to make this material
and validate its storage capacity. ■
COURTESY GEORGE FROUDAKIS
InfoChem – have your say
In September 2006 InfoChem, on its 100th
anniversary, was redesigned and relaunched
as a stand alone eight-page magazine for you.
As the editor of this magazine I need your
opinion on the content – are the stories
interesting?; are they written at the right
level?; what do you like best?; is there any
subject on chemistry that you would like us to
cover in future issues?
With this in mind I have set up an online
readership survey for you to complete at:
http://www.infochemsurvey.org. I do hope
that you will take a few minutes to complete
the survey. As a thank you we are giving a £50
HMV token plus a ‘glow in the dark’ pen to the
person who leaves their name and address
drawn from the entries on 8 December 2008.
Kathryn Roberts, Editor
Download a pdf of this issue at: www.rsc.org/EiC
Infochem_November Master Templat1 1
IN THIS
ISSUE
On-screen
chemistry
Jail break
Backyard
chemistry
Experimental fun
Plus…
Webwatch
Prize puzzles
Editor
Kathryn Roberts
Assistant editor
James Berressem
Design and layout
Dale Dawson
Infochem is a supplement to Education
in Chemistry and is published
bi-monthly by the Royal Society of
Chemistry, Burlington House,
Piccadilly, London W1J 0BA, UK.
020-7437 8656, e-mail: [email protected]
www.rsc.org/Education/EiC/index.asp
© The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008
Published in January and alternate
months. ISSN: 1752-0533
1
16/10/2008 13:27:12
L   
ISSUE  NOVEMBER 
For the past 28 years experiments using the bright light generated by the Synchrotron
Radiation Source (SRS) at the Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire, have supported the
development of new medicines, electronic gadgets like iPods, and even chocolate. In
August 2008 the light at the SRS was switched off, shifting the focus for similar
experiments to the new Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire.
S
ynchrotron radiation (SR) is the
intense electromagnetic
radiation, ie light, emitted by
charged particles travelling close
to the speed of light (ca
3 × 108 m s–1) around a circular particle
accelerator – a synchrotron. First observed in
1947 by General Electric scientists who were
developing particle accelerators for atomsmashing experiments, the emission was seen
as a ‘waste product’ because it is energy lost
from the accelerated particles. But by the 1960s
scientists, notably Professor Ian Munro at the
Daresbury Laboratory, had realised that this
unique light had experimental applications.
G  
In a synchrotron, like the SRS, electrons are
generated by heating a cathode and then fired
by a linear particle accelerator (linac) as a beam
into a vacuum booster ring, where the energy of
the beam is increased. When the electrons
approach the speed of light, the beam is fed into
a larger vacuum storage ring. Positioned around
the ring are accelerator devices to maintain the
speed of the circulating electrons and sets of
powerful magnets that bend and focus the
beam of particles. To control the electron beam
the frequency of the accelerating field and
power of the controlling magnets are
synchronised, hence the name synchrotron. As
Light speed – Diamond’s linear accelerator…
the electron beam circulates it emits SR and at
points around the storage ring this light enters a
beamline – an experiment station consisting of
optics, experimental and control setups where
scientists do their studies.
The SR generated is extremely intense (104–
106 times brighter than that from conventional
x-ray tubes), polarised light across a range of
wavelengths from x-rays, through uv-visible to
infrared. The light is tunable, allowing scientists
to select a particular wavelength, and is
produced in nanosecond (10–9 s) pulses, which
allow the study of very fast processes. These
unique properties of SR light are put to use in
four main types of studies:
● diffraction/scattering – for crystallography;
● spectroscopy – for analysing chemical
composition in bulk materials and at surfaces on
the nanoscale (10–9 m);
● polarimetry – for studying the properties of
magnetic materials;
● imaging – for eg medical diagnosis.
DIAMOND LIGHT SOURCE LTD
SRS –   
2
Infochem_November Master Templat2 2
When it opened in 1980, the SRS was the world’s
first dedicated SR light source. Scientists used
the SRS and its unique light as an ultra-powerful
microscope to view atoms and molecules and
probe the structure of materials.
Professor John Helliwell of the school of
chemistry at the University of Manchester told
Education in chemistry, ‘Some 3000 protein
structures have been identified through
experiments at the SRS and this three
dimensional structural knowledge has helped
You may copy this issue for use within schools
16/10/2008 11:57:55
JAMES KINGHOLMES/OCMS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY; KENNETH EWARD/BIOGRAFX/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

guide drug discovery’. For example in the 1980s,
Michael Rossmann of Purdue University brought
to the SRS a crystal sample of human rhinovirus14, the cause of the common the cold. Based on
data collected by X-ray crystallography,
Rossmann mapped the virus’ three dimensional
structure to the atomic level, showing it to be
spherical with grooves and pits on the surface.
Similar work at the SRS led by Professor David
Stuart of Oxford University revealed that the foot
and mouth disease virus (FMDV) has a smoother,
spherical shape. ‘Seeing the pitted shape of the
rhinovirus allowed chemists to design drug
molecules to lock into the grooves, clamping
shut the virus and thus stopping replication’,
explains Helliwell, ‘but the FMDV, with its smooth
surface, doesn’t permit the same approach. This
is why we have no effective drug treatment for
foot and mouth disease’.
The applications of SR do not just lie in the
fields of biology, chemistry and medicine. It is an
important tool in material science too, driving
developments in computers, aerospace
engineering and the food industry.
Material scientists make use of the polarised
nature of synchrotron light. The
polarisation can be linear, circular or
elliptical. Circularly polarised light is either
left-handed or right-handed depending
on the orientation of its electric field.
‘Materials absorb one type of circularly
polarised light in preference to the other’,
explains Professor Bob Cernik of the University of
Manchester. ‘This preference is determined by
the magnetic properties of the material. We
exploit this relationship in X-ray magnetic
circular dichroism studies, which can allow us to
detect specific elements and their magnetic
properties on a surface’. Such studies have led to
advances in hard disk technology and magnetic
storage devices such as iPods.
Synchrotron studies have even given us
smoother chocolate. Cocoa butter, a key
ingredient in chocolate, solidifies on cooling into
several different crystalline structures, each of
which has distinct properties that can enhance
or spoil chocolate. One crystalline structure in
particular, polymorph V, makes the best
chocolate because it melts just below body
temperature (37 ºC), giving the desired ‘melt-in-
X-ray diffraction crystallography…
You may copy this issue for use within schools
Infochem_November Master Templat3 3
Rhinovirus in view
the mouth’ sensation. However, polymorph V is
difficult to make and converts into other
crystalline forms. To investigate how the
polymorph V content in chocolate could be
increased researchers from Heriot-Watt
University developed a small-scale reaction
chamber designed to imitate the manufacture
of chocolate. With this device set up in a
beamline at the SRS they monitored the
formation of crystalline structures in the cocoa
butter mix while under different processing
conditions (heating, cooling, stirring etc) in realtime using X-ray scattering analysis. The study
showed that stirring is critical for the formation
of polymorph V and using the results chocolate
manufacturers developed new production
techniques to achieve chocolate nirvana.
B D
The Diamond Light Source in south Oxfordshire
opened in January 2007 and is the largest
science facility to be built in the UK for 40 years.
This third-generation synchrotron can produce
light that is 10 million times brighter than the
Sun. Currently Diamond hosts 12 beamlines,
which will increase to 22 by 2012. According to
Dr Nick Terrill, one of Diamond’s principal
beamline scientists, ‘the extreme intensity of
Diamond’s light allows scientists to see fine
detail on the atomic scale even when studying
very dilute samples’.
Environmental scientists are among the many
researchers to benefit from this brilliant new
light source. Dr Mark Hodson of the University of
Reading is investigating whether earthworms
might have a role to play in the remediation of
metal-contaminated sites. Earthworms are

3
16/10/2008 09:51:28
“…  SRS…   
  … ”
ISSUE  NOVEMBER 

important to maintain healthy soil. They help
degrade organic matter, mix and aerate soils,
and boost soil stability and fertility. In soil
contaminated with metals, eg near mines,
industrial sites, scientists have found super-metal
munching earthworms that have evolved
mechanisms which allow them to tolerate toxic
elements such as cooper, arsenic and lead. Using
X-ray absorption spectroscopy, Hodson is
investigating how these earthworms cope with
the toxic metals in their tissue, and the
distribution of the metals in worm excrement.
‘The size of the metal samples we are tracking is
around one thousand times smaller than a grain
of salt’, says Hodson. ‘But using Diamond’s light
we can map zinc concentration in earthworm
tissue, pinpoint metal sites and find out about
how the metal is coordinated’.
B, , 
Despite the power of current SR light source
facilities scientists are still in the dark when it
comes to studying events that occur on the
sub-picosecond (10–12 s) timescale, eg the
function of single biomolecules in living systems
and membrane transport, and measuring
electronic dynamics. But a worldwide effort is
under way to design and build the next
generation of SR light sources. UK scientists are
working on the New Light Source project and
... the worm that turned!
ALICE, a fourth-generation prototype accelerator
under development at Daresbury which will
generate even brighter light and in pulses
thousands of time shorter than what is currently
achievable. So the future for scientific research
looks even brighter.
James Berressem
Acknowledgment: this article is based on two
seminars run at the BA Festival of Science held at the
University of Liverpool in September 2008.
accidental discoveries
STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Peter Childs, University of Limerick, selects examples where chance led chemists to new discoveries. In this issue: lithium hydride
Lithium hydride (LiH) was
electrolysing molten lithium hydride
discovered by accident in
(melting point 692 ºC) and observed
1896 by chemist M.
that hydrogen gas formed and
Guntz. Lithium reacts
bubbled off at the anode. When acids
with nitrogen to form
are electrolysed protons migrate to
lithium nitride (Li3N). So
the cathode, pick up and electron
when Guntz wanted to
and hydrogen is evolved.
heat lithium he did so in a
current of hydrogen gas
Hydrogen storage
Lithium hydride
instead, arguing that
Lithium hydride, like the alkali halides,
hydrogen would not gain electrons. But to
is a strong reducing agent and reacts violently
Guntz’s amazement the metal burnt with a
with water to produce hydrogen. In 2003 LiH
flame, depositing a white powder, and
was involved in a breakthrough in hydrogen
leaving no trace of unburnt lithium. Analysis
storage, a key requirement for a viable
showed that the product was the ionic
hydrogen economy. By accident researchers
compound lithium hydride.
in Singapore1 found that treating a lithium–
The unexpected reaction showed
carbon alloy with nitrogen greatly increased
hydrogen behaving like a halogen, ie forming its hydrogen uptake. Analysis of the treated
its anion – the hydride ion (H–) – by gaining
alloy showed that lithium nitride had formed
one electron. In 1920 K. Moers confirmed that and that every mole of this compound
the compound contained the hydride ion by reacted with two moles of hydrogen gas to
4
Infochem_November Master Templat4 4
form lithium amide and lithium hydride.
Li3N(s) + 2H2(g) → 2LiH(s) + LiNH2(s)
The hydrogen is reversibly released by
lowering the pressure or by heating the solid.
Unfortunately, at standard pressure this
means heating to 270 ºC.
Lithium hydride compounds and mixtures
are also being investigated as potential
hydrogen storage materials. For example,
scientists have made a slurry of lithium
hydride with mineral oil and a dispersant.2
The mixture provides better control over the
release of hydrogen, and might be used to
run fuel cell-powered cars. So there is still life
in lithium hydride 110 years after its
accidental discovery. ■
REFERENCES
1. See: http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/011503/
Metal_stores_more_hydrogen_011503.html
2. See: http://www.safehydrogen.com/technology.html
You may copy this issue for use within schools
16/10/2008 09:52:01
Jonathan Hare asks…
… and only in a wet shirt
PRISON BREAK: could you escape
from jail using a wet shirt?
JACKIE CHAN FILMS/SPYGLASS/THE KOBAL COLLECTION/WENK, JONATHAN
In the film Shanghai noon, Chon Wang
(Jackie Chan), a Chineseman in the US and his
new-found friend, Roy O’Bannon (Owen
Wilson) a small-time robber, are trying to
escape from an old-style Wild West jail which
has metal bars from ceiling to floor. Wang
does a very odd thing. He takes off his shirt,
tears it up into strips and urinates on them.
Holding them up he proclaims: ‘when the
shirt gets wet it doesn’t break’. Then knotting
some of the cloth around a pair of prison bars
and using a broken -off wooden chair leg as a
lever, he tightens the knot which bends the
bars so he and his mate can get through and
escape! So is this possible? Is wet cloth really
stronger than dry cloth?
to be stronger. Also the leverage obtained by
the cloth knot and wooden stick was enough
to bend a steel bar 2.4 m long, similar to those
used in the jail in Shanghai noon. (Note: I
don’t think the jail-break stunt would have
worked if there had been a horizontal bar
welded about halfway up, as is the case in
Ask the experts
modern jails.)
Recently, I was giving an end of conference
talk to a group of professional scientists. Just
And the chemistry?
for fun I described the Shanghai noon clip
Cotton and paper are mainly composed of
and asked them what they thought about the
cellulose, a very large molecule (a polymer)
hydrogen bonding idea. I was amazed at the
made up of several hundred glucose
debate the question started. Some scientists
molecules linked by an O atom (see
thought the hydrogen bonding would be
structure). Now wet paper is definitely not
significant while others were equally
stronger than dry paper. Paper absorbs a lot
adamant it could not be.
of water, making it heavier and separating the
The general conclusion was that the
A trip to the launderette
fibres – so it falls apart. So what could be
molecules making up the cotton fibres were
To start my investigations, I went down to the happening in the wet cotton fibres to make
probably too widely and randomly spaced on
local launderette to ask the staff what they
them stronger?
a molecular scale for the short range
thought. They weren’t sure if wet clothes were
If molecules attract each other, the
intermolecular forces to have an effect. So
stronger but they seemed to think that wet
resulting intermolecular forces can
hydrogen bonding is probably unlikely to
clothes were less likely to tear or get
sometimes be considerable. In water, for
account for the increased strength of wet
damaged in their machines (apart from wool example, hydrogen bonding is so strong that
cloth.
perhaps).
at room temperature and pressure it is a liquid
However, in cotton the cellulose fibres are
I then tested strips of cotton by hanging
rather than a gas. With this in mind, could the
not just pressed or glued together as they are
weights from them made from buckets which forces between the closely spaced cellulose
in paper but are twisted around each other
I could slowly fill with water (not urine) to
molecules in the cloth fibres be enhanced by
like a fine rope, making it very strong. Perhaps
make them heavier. On average, a heavier
hydrogen bonding when wet? Could this
the most plausible explanation is that the
weight was required to break the wet cloth
explain the increased strength of Wang’s
water causes the fibres to swell, increasing
than the dry cloth. So the wet cloth did seem cloth?
the friction between them and thus making
the cloth harder to tear.... which was, after all,
CH2OH
OH
CH2OH
OH
the conclusion the staff in the local
O
O
launderette came to. ■
O
O
OH
OH
OH
OH
O
CH2OH
OH
Cellulose
You may copy this issue for use within schools
Infochem_November Master Templat5 5
OH
O
O
CH2OH
n
Dr Jonathan Hare, The CSC Centre, Chemistry
Department, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9ET
(www.creative-science.org.uk/TV.html).
5
16/10/2008 12:00:40
Dr Hal SoSabowSki preSentS experimentS you can Do on your own
Issue 103 MARCH 2007
IN THIS ISSUE: ‘hot ice’ sculptures
THE SCIENCE
Handwarmers often contain a
supersaturated solution of sodium
ethanoate (CH3COONa). (Supersaturated
means that the water in which the
sodium ethanoate is dissolved is ‘carrying’
more sodium ethanoate than it should
and at the slightest provocation, the
ethanoate will precipitate out. This occurs
because hot water will dissolve far more
sodium ethanoate than cold water, but
having done so, the ethanoate will stay
dissolved as the water cools down.)
A seed crystal, or even a speck of dust,
will provoke the precipitation of the
ethanoate. In this experiment, a clear
saturated solution of sodium ethanoate is
poured onto a plate at which point it will
solidify, creating an ethanoate tower,
stalagmite or ice sculpture.
You can also touch a clear solution of
sodium ethanoate and cause it to solidify
in front of your eyes.
MATERIALS
BOB SEAGO, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON
You will need:
● two–three handwarmers from a
camping shop or buy sodium
ethanoate from e-bay (£5.99 + £2.99
P&P for 200 g);
● saucepan, glass, plate, and teaspoon;
● a clear glass or plastic tray, eg the kind
you might find in a toolbox
compartment or a small clear
Tupperware tray.
HEALTH & SAFETY
This experiment involves boiling water
and sodium ethanoate. Sodium
ethanoate is not hazardous but exposure
6
Infochem_November Master Templat6 6
should be minimised, and hands washed
after the demonstration. Do not allow
the plate, saucepan, glass and
teaspoon to be reused for food use
and remove them from the kitchen after
use, either discarding or permanently
marking them ‘not for food use’. Boiling
water causes scalds. Use eye protection.
METHOD
Step one. Open two–three
handwarmers with a knife (care!) and
pour the liquid contents into a saucepan.
The liquid will probably crystallise, so heat
until near boiling or until the crystals
dissolve. Pour into a clean glass, ensuring
that any undissolved solid stays in the
pan. Allow to cool. Go to step three.
salt) onto the plate and then gently pour
the liquid made in step two onto the
crystals. As soon as the liquid touches the
seed crystals it will solidify. With practice
you can get the wave of precipitation to
back up into the glass.
Notes
● In both cases the resulting solid sodium
ethanoate is hot to the touch – the
recrystallisation is an exothermic
process.
● The sodium ethanoate can be re-used.
To see these experiments look on www.
Youtube.com and search for ‘hot ice’. ■
Acknowledgement: my thanks to Theodore
Grey (www.periodictable.com).
Step two. If you are using pre-bought
sodium ethanoate, heat ca 300 ml of
water to just below its boiling point.
Add sodium ethanoate crystals until
no more will dissolve (this may require
some practice). Pour off the liquid into
a clean glass, ensuring that any
undissolved crystals remain in the
pan. Allow to cool.
Step three. Try the following two
experiments.
Experiment 1. Pour some of the
liquid into the plastic tray. Gently
touch the surface of the liquid. A
wave of crystallisation will follow
and the liquid will turn solid.
Experiment 2. Put a few crystals of
sodium ethanoate (or if you are
using handwarmers and have
none undissolved use common
You may copy this issue for use within schools
16/10/2008 09:52:52
A     …
FORMULATION SCIENTIST:
Charlotte Ashley-Roberts
Charlotte has spent the past 12 months working as a
formulation scientist for 3M. She talks to Rachel
Bolton-King about her typical day.
3M is a global technology organisation with over 75 000 employees
working in various industries. Charlotte works in the healthcare
division, specialising in inhaler product development. She is one of
six staff in the product development submissions team based in
Loughborough.
D 
Charlotte is responsible for writing sections of common technical
dossiers (CTDs) on new inhaler products developed by 3M for
customers, eg pharmaceutical companies. The CTD is a summary of all
the analyses and tests done on a product, ranging from its
appearance to the results of tests on how it distributes the drug in the
lungs. Before an inhaler drug can go on sale a CTD must be submitted
to the regulatory authority of the country in which the product will be
sold. Charlotte works with 3M’s regulatory department to make sure
new products meet all 3M and regulatory authority guidelines.
PATHWAY TO SUCCESS
●
●
2007–present, formulation scientist, 3M,
Loughborough
2005–07, inhalation scientist, Innovata,
Nottingham
2001–05, BSc in medicinal and
pharmaceutical science (2.i), Nottingham
Trent University
1999–2001, NVQ Level 3 in pharmacy,
Distance Learning
1997–99, A-levels in chemistry, physics
and biology, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor,
Dolgellau, Nor th Wales
●
●
●
You may copy this issue for use within schools
Infochem_November Master Templat7 7
Charlotte Ashley-Rober ts
Charlotte usually only
has a few products to
document at any one time because a CTD is ultimately ca 50 000
pages and can take over a year to complete. Typically, she starts her
day by contacting all departments that have done tests on an inhaler
product to collect their test data. Collating the data can take two–
three days and involves transposing information from workbooks into
spreadsheets. Using the completed spreadsheets, Charlotte assesses
the data and creates tables, graphs and charts to illustrate and
compare the results of tests, eg on how consistently test batches of
the drug reach the target area of the lungs compared to a control.
When Charlotte completes a first draft of a CTD section she passes
it on to a colleague to review. The review process highlights changes
to the draft, which Charlotte can accept or reject. If Charlotte rejects
any recommendations, she has to justify fully her reasons, eg the
change contradicts another section. Charlotte’s manager will also
review her draft and it is at this point that 3M’s regulatory department
checks the document to ensure it meets the customer’s or regulatory
authority’s guidelines. When the section has been authorised, the
document is sent to the relevant regulatory authority or customer.
Charlotte may spend some of her day reviewing colleagues’ drafts
for other CTDs. She checks that consistent language is used and the
grammar and data are accurate. This requires her to be thorough, have
a methodical approach and an excellent eye for detail.
When Charlotte is not busy writing or reviewing sections of a
CTD, she can be seconded for a few weeks to another department.
Recently, she worked in a laboratory testing the robustness of an
inhaler, which involves repeatedly firing the inhaler to determine
that a consistent amount of drug is released each time. She values
these opportunities because they give more variety to her role.
I   
Charlotte enjoys her job because she applies the knowledge gained
from her degree to help develop products that will improve people’s
lives. Working in a large company like 3M means her work is diverse
and she interacts with many colleagues in other departments. ■
PhD student, Rachel Bolton-King was given a grant by Chemistry: the
next generation (C:TNG) to write this article in collaboration with
Education in Chemistry.
7
16/10/2008 09:53:13
£50 OF HMV TOKENS TO BE WON!
FIND THE ELEMENT No. 5
Students are invited to solve Benchtalk’s Find the element puzzle,
contributed by Dr Simon Cotton of Uppingham School. Your task is
to complete the grid by identifying the nine elements using the
clues below.
ISSUE NOVEMBER 
PRIZE WORDSEARCH No. 42
Students are invited to find the 37 words/expressions associated with
air pollution hidden in this grid. Words read in any direction, but are
always in a straight line. Some letters may be used more than once.
When all the words are found, the unused letters, read in order, will spell
a further seven-letter word. Please send your answers to the Editor at
the usual address to arrive no later than Monday 8 December. First
correct answer out of the editor’s hat will receive a £20 HMV token.
ACROSS
1. This metal does not burn when heated, but forms a black
coating of the oxide.
2. Black non-metallic solid that changes to a purple vapour on
heating.
3. Lightest alkali metal atom.
4. This metal forms a M2+ ion and reacts quickly with cold water.
5. When you heat the nitrate of this metal, oxygen is the only gas
formed.
6. Can be used as a raw material in the Contact process.
7. This metal forms a nitrate which on heating forms the metal
(plus O2 and NO2 gases).
8. Lightest non-flammable gas.
9. Non-metal that forms an insoluble cream-silver salt.
F
F
R
E
E
R
A
D
I
C
A
L
S
W
P
M
P
U
C
A
R
B
O
N
D
I
O
X
I
D
E
H
H
L
N
T
W
A
T
E
R
A
B
U
R
N
I
A
O
N
U
C
H
F
O
G
R
T
L
D
N
I
W
L
T
T
I
M
T
G
Y
E
S
E
R
K
U
I
T
A
O
H
O
T
E
I
I
T
K
K
H
A
A
S
A
H
C
E
E
S
R
D
O
E
I
E
Y
P
F
N
T
R
H
I
V
R
Y
O
I
5
N
W
V
T
S
S
F
E
A
E
N
D
L
C
N
G
X
6
A
R
I
O
E
O
I
S
M
A
I
R
A
O
T
E
O
L
A
T
N
N
M
C
I
O
Z
O
N
E
N
H
N
N
G
L
C
E
E
T
C
A
M
H
T
S
A
D
E
D
E
R
U
A
S
K
A
E
R
O
S
O
L
S
I
S
I
G
O
C
N
E
L
B
R
O
N
C
H
I
A
T
I
O
O
U
E
A
S
A
O
X
Y
G
E
N
G
T
I
S
X
R
P
L
M
D
E
S
I
D
I
X
O
H
O
O
M
I
T
S
O
U
S
E
T
A
R
T
I
N
T
M
N
O
D
I
G
M
H
A
L
D
E
H
Y
D
E
S
S
S
G
E
N
ACID
AEROSOLS
AIR
ALDEHYDES
ALKANES
ALKENES
ALVEOLI
ASTHMA
ATMOSPHERE
ATOMS
BRONCHI
BURN
CARBON DIOXIDE
DUST
FOG
FREE RADICALS
FUNCTIONAL GROUPS
HUMAN ACTIVITY
KETONES
LIGHT
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
NITRATES
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDE
OXIDISED
OXYGEN
OZONE
PHOTOCHEMICAL SMOG
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PLUME
RAIN
SKY
SMOG
TRAFFIC
WATER
WEATHER CONDITIONS
WIND
1
2
3
4
7
8
9
If you have found the correct nine elements, in 10 down you will
have generated the name of a soft, reactive metal that burns with a
lilac flame. Please send you answers to: the Editor, Education in
Chemistry, the Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House,
Piccadilly, London W1J 0BA, to arrive no later than Monday 8
December. First out of the editor’s hat to have correctly completed
the grid will receive a £30 HMV token.
1
The winner was Lucia Del Pizzo from Court Fields Community School, Wellington,
Somerset. The 10-letter word was EXTRACTION.
8
Infochem_November Master Templat8 8
s
3
h y
5
c
8
September PRIZE WORDSEARCH No. 41 winner
10
n
9
b a
11
u l p
2
h
d r o
4
s
o p p
6
c h
7
i r o
i t r
r i u
10
s
h
e
g
o
e
l
n
o
m
i
u r
l i u m
e n
d i u m
r
o r i n e
g e n
l
v e
r
Find the
element no. 4
solutions and
winner
The winner was Lucy
Baird from St George’s
School for Girls,
Edinburgh.
Download a pdf of this issue at: www.rsc.org/EiC
16/10/2008 12:00:09