Chemistry, Number 4/2007, Volume 16

Teaching Efficiency

The Gap between Secondary and Tertiary Education: Improving the First Year of Technological University

Absract. The integration of freshmen students in the academic community is a problem for every university. Thus, various projects, which aim to introduce the students to the society and help them to adapt easier to the academic expectations, are carried out. Below, are discussed more specific problems, associated with helping the students to enroll in the course of a fundamental subject – the inorganic chemistry. The subject of analysis of the skills of the students in the beginning of their study of chemistry, are the admission exams, as well as the knowledge that the students obtained during their high-school education. The analysis of the attitude as well as the achievements of the prospective students exhibits the gap between the secondary and tertiary education. To fill this gap and to improve the first year of the technological university preparatory courses have been designed. The application of these courses in practice gives encouraging results.
Keywords: study achievements, examination procedures, design of university course

S. Terzieva, D. Nikolova

Teaching Chemical Experiment

Behaviour of Phenolphtalein in Strongly Basic Media

Absract. Phenolphthalein as an acid-base indicator and its colour change (from colourless to raspberry-purple) is widely known to virtually every student of chemistry. It turns to be far from a well-known fact that the colour may disappear in very strongly basic solutions. A simple demonstration (type of an “experiment of surprise”) is offered to point to this fact.

Keywords: acid-base indicators; phenolphthalein; strongly basic media; expe¬riments of surprise.

V.M. Petrusevski, K. Risteska

Problems

Chemistry Competition Vrarsa 2007

Absract. On 2-4 February 2007 a Chemistry Competition – Vratsa 2007 was held. 82 students from different Bulgarian secondary schools participated in the competition. Two problems from Inorganic Chemistry and two problems from Organic Chemistry were given. This competition is similar to the entrance exam in Chemistry for the prospective students of both Medical Universities in Sofia and Varna. A careful analysis of the given problems is presented. The system of problems assessment is described.
Keywords: chemistry competition, university entrance exam, problems, system of problems assessment

I. Manolov, T. Kovachev

From the Research Laboratories

A Moessbaurer Analysis of Corrosion Products Obtained in Magnetic Field

Absract. The corrosion products of mild steel electrodes in absence and presence of an external magnetic field 0,128 T and 3% NaCl solution were studied. Mössbauer data show the following composition of the samples: in absence of magnetic field – Fe(OH)2 or Fe(OH)2-xClx, Fe(OH)3.xH2O or Fe(OH)3.xH2O and beta–FeOOH; in presence of magnetic field – Fe3-xO4 and gama–FeOOH. It was found that the magnetic field influences both the rate and the mechanism of chemical processes.
Keywords: corrosion products, magnetic field, Moessbaurer analysis

T.M. Peev

People in Chemistry

Thank You Nikolay!

Absract. This is the congratulatory address presented at the International Conference in Sofia (5 July 2007) devoted to the 8oth birthday of the eminent Bulgarian quantum chemist Prof. Nikolay Tyutyulkov (b. 1927 in Bourgas).
Keywords: quantum chemistry, prof. N. Tyutyulkov, Bulgarian-German cooperation in quantum chemistry

A. Mehlhorn

Reviews

IG Farben and ICI, 1925-53. Strategies for Growth and Servival, 2006: A Book by Kim Coleman

Absract. This paper is a review of the book written by Kim Coleman, a lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Essex, United Kingfom. The book is published by Palgrave MacMillan, Houndmills, Basingstoke in 2006. In this paper I allow me to to retell a little bit more of the content of the book, which is unusual in such cases. This was made with the aim more people in Bulgaria to receive information about this valuable book…
K. Coleman. IG Farben and ICI, 1925-53. Strategies for Growth and Survival. Palgrave MacMillan, Houndmills, 2006, 225 pp. ISBN 978-0-230-00329-3 (Hardback)
Foreword (R. Overy), 8 chapters, figures, tables, notes, bibliography, index.

I. Kuleff

Свързани статии:

Chemistry, Number 1/2007, Volume 16 Chemistry, Number 2/2007, Volume 16 Chemistry, Number 3/2007, Volume 16 Chemistry, Number 5/2007, Volume 16