Chemistry KS3 & KS4: The Alchemist's Apprentice

BBC Teach > Secondary resources > Chemistry KS3 / GCSE Chemistry

Cambridge chemist Dr Peter Wothers offers 12 students the unique opportunity to join him in his laboratory for a master class exploring the four ancient elements: water, earth, air and fire - with explosive results.

These clips are form the BBC series The Alchemist's Apprentice.

Suitable for: Chemistry at Key Stage 3 and 4 / GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or National 4 and National 5 in Scotland.

Experiments with air
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Experiments with air

Three students try out hands-on experiments with carbon dioxide and explore the properties of the air around us.

Experiments with rock
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Experiments with rock

Students do a practical science experiment extracting copper from a piece of malachite in a lab.

Experiments with water
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Experiments with water

Students take practical experiments with water and explore why ice floats and what happens as water expands when frozen.

Experiments with fire
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Experiments with fire

A look at the properties of fire and exploration of what happens during combustion.