On Monday 23 April, our Sixth Form Chemistry students enjoyed a visit from the Imperial College, in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry, as part of an outreach program called ‘Spectroscopy in a Suitcase.’ The session was delivered by Sharanda and Sam, who are RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) Ambassadors and PhD students at Imperial College.
The session gave all present an exciting and thought-provoking morning which was enjoyed by all. We heartily thank Sharanda and Sam for their time and hope to continue to deepen our relationship with both the Royal Society and Imperial College moving forward.
‘The visit began with the reiteration of some spectroscopic techniques (including mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance) which are all topics we cover on the A Level syllabus. The session then quickly turned synoptic and brought in further techniques. This was really helpful to us as we were able to expand our knowledge beyond our specification and thus giving us a wider understanding.’ (Hirar, Sixth Form student)
Not only were we able to understand the techniques, we also discussed the everyday applications of spectroscopic techniques, from breathalysers to airport security, and explored the notion that conclusions can only be drawn from analysis of several different results. Consequently, this enabled us to analyse several samples using Imperial College’s infrared and NMR spectrometers. We all enjoyed the session thoroughly.’ (Queency, Sixth Form student)
