Chemistry News

Chemistry masterclass

Four students from the Lower Sixth recently attended a SCIS organised "Masterclass" in the Chemistry Department at the University of St. Andrews.

Along with their peers from other Scottish independent schools they attended a plenary lecture on drug discovery which focussed on the development of novel antibiotics. Much of the work of Professor Jim Naismith, the lecturer, has been on characterising protein structure in bacteria to afford the design of new drugs.

The hands on part of the day saw the pupils split into small, mixed school, groups to carry out an organic synthesis in the new teaching laboratories at the university. Practical instructions were provided for the production of a target molecule, one being paracetamol, and the aim later in the day was to use a suite of university analytical instruments to characterise the product. Students worked with unfamiliar apparatus, unfamiliar peers and had access to instruments not found in schools - a great learning experience with significant overlap of theoretical material yet to be covered in the Upper Sixth.