On Tuesday 29th November the Sixth Form A Level and IB students enjoyed a series of fascinating lectures at the Chemistry in Action conference.

Emily Lawson (Upper Sixth) reflected on the visit: “The Chemistry in Action trip to the University of Warwick was very enlightening. With guest speakers covering topics from ways various colours could be created in chemistry to chemical forensic analysis methods to how to rebuild life as we know it after an apocalyptic event, each talk really covered a different side of chemistry than the one we see in the classroom.

“It was also interesting to tie in real-world examples to things covered in the specification, such as stereoisomerism in drug production and how to counteract that, or the coloured compounds created by transition metals. There were links to biology, for example, the reason why heroin is so addictive is because it is much more soluble in organic matter and therefore crosses the blood-brain barrier more easily than drugs such as aspirin, which I and the other biologists appreciated. The talk on chemistry-specific exam techniques provided tips on where marks were lost most often and how to avoid mistakes, which I found very helpful- I have a full set of notes on this now!

“Overall, the day was both fun and informative, and I really appreciated the opportunity to learn some applications of the chemistry we learn in school.”