2023 STANSW Young Scientist Awards Presentation Ceremony
RACI Chemistry Encouragement Award
For primary and secondary students demonstrating ability , skill and promise for Chemistry
Primary : Elise Khoury , St Patrick ’ s Catholic Primary School , Appetising Apples
Elise investigated if different varieties of apples brown at varying rates and what was the best liquid to prevent browning . She observed Pink Lady apples were slowest to brown with Granny Smith apples browning the quickest . Elise determined citric acid was best to keep apples from browning .
Secondary : Jonathan Allen , Lambton High School , Time dynamics of chemical gardens
Jonathan investigated the rate at which salts of copper and magnesium form crystals in a ‘ chemical garden ’. He tested the role played by the associated anion , showing that crystal growth was faster with chloride salts , and he also determined the optimal number of moles that should be used .
Secondary : Nevada Guiance , PLC Armidale , Shining the Light on Lead Contamination - Determining the Presence of Free Pb ( II ) Ions in Soil Samples Using the Rhodamine-Based Fluorescent Sensor , RPb1
Rhodamine B is a substance that only fluoresces in the presence of lead . Nevada obtained soil samples from locations including Hillgrove and Port Kembla , which are sites of metal mining and processing . Her sensor was successfully able to measure the concentration of free lead in the samples .
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