(Photo Credit lostin)

This post is going to be controversial as many students, tutors, teachers and many parents is not going to accept it initially.

My partner “always Lovely” told me 2 weeks ago that she walked out of her A-Math individual coaching class when she found out that her student did not attempt the homework that was assigned to her. Her student was fabergasted and did not know what to do or say - she was shell-shocked - Never ever a tutor/coach has walked away in that fashion. I believe she was waiting for “Always Lovely” to nag at her abit and then continue with the class, as per normal. Initially, i got a shock also but after hearing from her more, i certainly believe she did the correct thing.

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 (Image by Aim and Shoot)

During the process of making cake, there is an important chemical reaction that is involved that determines if your cake will rise, aka, if your cake will look really like a “cake” - all puff up!

This is due to the chemical reaction between the Baking Soda (which contains Sodium Hydrogencarbonate) and the acid, to form carbon dioxide (CO2):

Sodium Hydrogencarbonate + Acid -> Sodium Salt + Carbon Dioxide + Water

This will be another game that can develop your concentration & focus.

(Click on image to see clearly)

Solutions:
“As long as one keeps searching, the answers come”>- Sean Chua

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NEWater, Singapore’s high-quality reclaimed water, shone again on the world stage when it clinched the title “Environmental Contribution of the Year” at the Global Water Awards 2008 ceremony on Monday night in London.

This is the second award received by PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, from the award organiser, Global Water Intelligence (GWI). In 2006, PUB was named the Water Agency of the Year in Dubai.

You may first wonder how come this article is being posted in this Chemistry Blogsite?

• 1st Reason - I am proud as a Singaporean that a Singapore 1st - kind of project has gotten its deserved recognition

• 2nd Reason -Proces in NEWater is in fact what you are learning right now in Purification &  Separation chapter

The production of NEWater essentially consists of 3 main steps:

1. Use of microfiltration/ultrafiltration to filter out suspended solids, colloidal particles, disease-causing bacteria and some viruses. The filtered water that goes through the membrane contains only dissolved salts and organic molecules.

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  Hi Parents,

Mid-year examinations are around the corner for your child within a weeks time. You must be as excited and nervous as your child right now. We all understand your anxiousness to see your child do well for their studies, and in a “realistic & blunt” society like Singapore - to see them score high in Academic Results.

I have beeen talkig to parents for the last few years during my coaching career, and realized one thing that a huge percentage of parents have missed out - that is to Support their Child positively by providing a “safety net for failures”. Many times parents emphasized too much to the child that they have to study hard to get all the As, but never give the child any kind of support if there is “failures” along the way. Many students have also feedback to me regarding this stressful trend.

Parents seems to neglect the feelings of their child and neglect that they are still very young, and have a developing mind. They can crumble anytime if the stress level is too high, without

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Halo Students locally,

Most of you must be mugging for your Mid-Year Examinations which is around the corner. You have been doing well, keep up the good work!

I do understand that you might be nervous as you have to sit for so many examinations (i.e.different subjects) within a week or two. Be confident and be focus. Do not let this ‘butterfly in your stomache’ effect affect your mood.

Below is the 2nd part of the “Lost in Maze” series - a simple game that can help you develop a sense of focus and confidence. Try it out!

Below is a Table that can help us to identify cations in an unknown solution. This is very important in Qualitative Analysis Tests.

Besides SPA and Practical Examinations where the following table will be provided, you will need to memorize the table in order to answer QA questions that come out for Multiple-Choice Questions as well as Structured Questions.

But no fret, it is not that difficult to memorize it. Start by looking at Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+ and NH4+ because they have very distinct colours changes:

• Cu2+ –> Blue PPT
• Fe2+ –> Green PPT
• Fe3+ –> Reddish Brown PPT

(Click Image to View)

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Below are some question on the solubility of common salts that are covered and tested in GCE O Level & GCSE examinations. You can refer to the Table on Solubility of Common Salts that i have posted earlier.

Question:
Are these salts soluble in water?
(a) ammonium phosphate
(b) barium carbonate
(c) chromium sulphate
(d) copper (II) nitrate
(e) nickel(II) chloride

Based on the Table on Solubility of Common Salts, we have the following answers:

(a) ammonium phosphate –> Soluble in water
(b) barium carbonate –> Insoluble in water
(c) chromium sulphate –> Soluble in water
(d) copper (II) nitrate –> Soluble in water (Note: All Nitrates are Soluble in Water)
(e) nickel(II) chloride –> Soluble in water