Morag Easson

Oct 12, 2023 | edu.rsc.org | Hayley M Bennett |Jo Haywood |Morag Easson |Kit Chapman

When chlorophyll breaks down, leaves reveal their inner chemistryEvery autumn, nature swaps its coat of green for an ensemble of red, yellow, orange and brown. Fashion followers take inspiration from this seasonal shift. Preschoolers seek out the multicoloured leaves for crafts.

Oct 9, 2023 | edu.rsc.org | Hayley M Bennett |Jo Haywood |Morag Easson |Nina Notman

Explore the chemical composition of supplements and find out if they really are vitalIn 17th century London, doctors noticed increasing numbers of children with a disease called rickets. Rickets affects children’s bones, making them softer and weaker than they should be and sometimes causing children’s legs to bend together or apart too much at the knees.

Sep 7, 2023 | edu.rsc.org | Morag Easson

Use these classroom tips and ideas to effectively teach your post-16 students about transition metal complexes Source: © Andrew J. Martinez/Science Photo Library Why is blood red? Why, for some sea creatures, is blood blue? The answer lies in the fascinating and colourful topic of transition metal complexes. While the coordination of iron(III) is responsible for the red colour in haemoglobin, it is copper(II) that gives haemocyanin its blue colour.

Apr 5, 2023 | edu.rsc.org | Morag Easson

In his Nobel lecture of 1945, Alexander Fleming said, ‘penicillin started as a chance observation. My only merit is that I did not neglect the observation.’ Daily life is enhanced by many accidental scientific discoveries made by following up observations. From smoke detectors to Teflon, these discoveries have emphasised the importance of observation skills. While it’s easy to assume that students know how to describe observations scientifically, it’s not instinctive.