atoms and molecules

Antibiotic medicines have been an important development for human health, and they’re credited with improving the average human lifespan. While important for human and animal health,...

We use chemicals every day, and they’re all around us. We know different chemicals come in different forms and that they will behave differently in different...

Did you know there are over 30,000 chemicals approved for use across Aotearoa New Zealand? Who approves and regulates the use of these chemicals? How do...

American foulbrood (AFB) is a highly infectious disease that infects bee larvae. It costs the beekeeping industry millions of dollars a year and threatens the role...

Air has many interesting characteristics. It flows and spreads into spaces that are not already occupied. Air can be compressed, and it can also expand. This...

Air is largely invisible, but we can feel it and see its effects when the wind blows. This set of five simple activities provides opportunities for...

From our bodies to our Earth’s oceans and rocks, acids and bases play an important role in our lives and the environment around us. If you...

Science is about discovery, curiosity and observation. Two key outcomes of any activity can simply be enjoyment and the conversations that arise from the experience. Take...

Gallium is perhaps best known as a metal that is a solid when you pick it up and melts when it sits in your hand. Elemental...

Mercury – named after a Roman god known for speed and agility – is a chemical element that has fascinated humans for thousands of years. Mercury...

Gold is the stuff of dreams and legends. Empires have been toppled for it, pirates have plundered it and misers have hoarded it. But what does...

Cobalt is a chemical element – a substance that contains only one type of atom. Its official chemical symbol is Co and its atomic number is...

Magnesium is a chemical element – a substance that contains only one type of atom. Its official chemical symbol is Mg, and its atomic number is...

Neodymium is a chemical element. Its official symbol is Nd, and its atomic number is 60, which means it has 60 protons in its nucleus. The...

Lead is a chemical element – a substance that contains only one type of atom. Its official chemical symbol is Pb, and its atomic number is...

Rutherfordium is a synthetic chemical element. Its official chemical symbol is Rf, and its atomic number is 104, which means that a rutherfordium atom has 104...

The United Nations proclaimed 2019 to be the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements. This was to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Dmitri...

Helium is a chemical element. Its official symbol is He, and its atomic number is 2, which means it has two protons in its nucleus. Helium...

The periodic table of elements can seem abstract to students. This activity helps to bring this important science idea to life by connecting everyday objects to...

Zinc is a chemical element. Its official symbol is Zn, and its atomic number is 30, which means each zinc atom has 30 protons in its...

Sulfur is a chemical element. Its official symbol is S and its atomic number is 16, which means that each sulfur atom has 16 protons in...

Oxygen is a chemical element – a substance that contains only one type of atom. Its official chemical symbol is O, and its atomic number is...

In this recorded professional learning session, Greta Dromgool will build your knowledge and confidence to teach the particle nature of matter – a key concept in...

Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space. A useful way to start thinking about matter is to think about the different materials, or substances,...