Progress in carbon capture?
This blog looks at a promising recent development which could lead to capturing carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels before they can enter the atmosphere. The process uses photoacids,...
A pedantic chemist
Authoring this website, writing IB examination questions and my Study Guide etc. has made me become quite a pedantic chemist! Apologies for this, but it is often necessary to be pedantic in order to be...
Some chemistry behind a tattoo
Chemistry can sometimes appear in surprising places. Recently I was on a train from Sitges to Barcelona in Spain when I noticed that the person sitting opposite had a chemical structure tattooed on his...
New Study Guide for 1st exams in 2025
The new edition of my IB Chemistry Study Guide has now been published by Oxford University Press. This is the fourth edition of my Study Guide. The first edition was published in 2001 for first exams...
Artificial intelligence and IB chemistry
Maybe you are thinking that AI is not something that IB teachers really have to worry about yet? Like many innovative ideas, you may consider that AI is still in the early stages of development and you...
The big update has now come!
The IB has now published the new 2023 Guide on the resources section of My IB so the site has now been updated as described below. Next month, all being well, the new 2023 IBDP Chemistry Guide will be...
The excitement of discovery
Something to enthuse your students about how fantastic chemistry can be. This 7 minute video produced by NASA is well worth watching and showing to all your students, particularly when you are covering...
Concept-based assessment
There is an interesting question on the 2022 November examination paper which is worth exploring particularly as the IB moves toward concept-based learning and assessment which will be embodied in the...
5+ is different to +5
In many ways this blog follows on from my last one 'Training students to think critically'. Recently Natalie Brink, who teaches at Shekou International School in China, asked a very sensible and valid...
Training students to think critically
Young children are naturally curious and parents and teachers should actively encourage this curiosity. Questions which generally start with "How.." often require factual answers (e.g. How does this work?...