Grace Gaffey (Lower Sixth)

Over the last month, a group of Lower Sixth students have been taking part in cutting edge research about ionic liquids as part of a study organised by the Institute for Research in Schools.

Ionic liquids are a potential eco-friendly replacement for organic solvents which are used constantly in the scientific industry but are highly flammable and can damage the environment. In the time of environmental disruption our world is currently facing, it is essential for chemists to find solutions to anything that can harm the planet.

Our project began by making our ionic liquids, and now we have the opportunity to experiment with the liquid and determine things like the melting and boiling point, and this can lead to us doing further research and experiments depending on our interests.

With the help of Mrs Smart (Head of Science) and Mrs Everest (Senior Science Technician), this project has allowed us to see the real-life applications of our A-level or IB Chemistry courses, and expand our learning outside of the curriculum. We have been able to apply different scientific methods that we have learnt in the classroom into this project and it is great to see how what we learn now can be used to make a positive impact in the future.