What is Chemistry?
Chemistry is an essential part of everyday life. It underpins many other sciences and is frequently referred to as the central science. So what is chemistry?
The simplest description is the study of matter, which includes everything you can see, feel, taste and touch, for example: how things change when they are heated or cooled, how things interact when they are mixed together and the design of new materials for modern applications.
Chemistry research covers a huge field and includes: the interaction of molecules with light, developing new energy sources such as next generation solar cells, supramolecular chemistry, synthesis of new drugs and drug delivery methods, the development of new 'smart' polymers, conducting polymers, molecular machines, marine and freshwater chemistry, environmental pollution and forensics.
Chemistry is at the leading edge of many of the scientific advances of the modern world and as such really is 'the central science'.
January Summer Science Camp
Plants are often a source of inspiration for chemists looking for interesting molecules, for example as a potential cancer treatment. Often this search is triggered by 'traditional' knowledge, for example willow bark was chewed for many hundreds of years for toothache and chemists identified the molecule responsible and developed ways to make it cheaply to produce Aspirin.
In this camp we will look at the role played by traditional uses of plants and how chemistry overlaps with this knowledge. We will look at indigo dye, a traditional European and Asia dye and how it was first synthesised to meet the demand brought about by clothing such as blue jeans. Then we shall look at a dye native to New Zealand (from the raurekau plant) used by Māori to produce an orange/brown colour. A very similar molecule is found in other parts of the world and combined with minerals not available in NZ other civilizations used it to create a wider range of colours.
Bring a white T shirt if you would like to try dyeing a souvenir!
July Winter Science Camp
Gels (like the jelly we eat at home) contain about 90% water.
This property means they can be used to soak up large volumes of liquids like the ones used in nappies or to hold solutions of chemicals such as drugs for cancer treatments. The big problem though is that they are not very strong and it is easy to break them up. There has been a huge amount of research over the past 30 years or more looking at how chemists can improve the strength of gels to extend their possible uses.
In this camp we will look at one way that this can be done. We'll make an addition polymer from NIPAM and use small nanoparticles of clay to bind to the strands of the polymer and hold the chains together, increasing the strength and elasticity of the gel. The chemistry is based around using alkenes to make polymers combined with intermolecular forces used to hold the clay to the polymer strands, as well as learning some important techniques chemists use to synthesise materials.