EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE CHEMISTRY INTERNAL ASSESSMENT (IA)

INVESTIGATIONS
TRADITIONAL OR HANDS-ON
Removing tarnish from silver objects (redox reactions)
Aspirin: Syntheses using less common approaches like microwaves,
purification by melting point and TLC, kinetics of the hydrolysis of
aspirin to salicylic acid under various conditions
Synthesis of the Sweetener Dulcin from the Analgesic Tylenol (allows
using titration)
Studying nucleophilic substitution reactions (using TLC-quantitation may
be achieved by using simple flatbed scanner)
Production of hydrogen peroxide using a photosensitizer such as
riboflavin and redox reactions
Thermal denaturation of proteins using UV light
thermodynamics and kinetics of 'Heater Meals"
Investigating the kinetics of the bleaching of a dye using a colorimeter
probe
Solidification techniques and materials
distribution constant of iodine between aqueous and non-aqueous
systems (which could be expanded to calculate G)
Investigating gases in water overheated in a microwave
investigating EDTA contents in shower cleaners
Investigating the dependence of overvoltage on the composition of a
metal surface at which hydrogen discharge occurs, bubbles' lifetime'
and IMF
Low rank coal swelling with different solvents
Pharmaceuticals from plants
Investigating fluorescence using turmeric, B complex vitamins,
minerals, household items.
Iodine numbers of palm oil as compared to other cooking oils.
An expansion of the determination of manganese in a paper clip.
Effectiveness of different salts on road snow removal.
In-depth kinetics investigation into a specific investigation.
Transition metal ions (effects of metals, ligands, oxidation states on the
colour of the ion)
Natural indicators (sources, stability, Ka values, end point range)
Extraction of oil from spices (using different sources of spices, different
storage conditions)
Effectiveness of different water purification methods on dissolved ions.
Melting points of group 2 metals and the different types of crystal
lattice.
The amount of nitrogen in fertilizers (reacting with excess NaOH and
titrating with standard HCl)
Thermodynamic data for ionic compounds (Ksp, can be calculated by

gravimetric determination, The enthalpy of solution)

The use of different fruits to chelate heavy metals (eg cadmium) from
polluted water sources.
The effect of temperature on vitamin C content in red pepper juice.
Determination of residual chlorine concentration vs distance from water
treatment plant
The determination of the activation energy in a reaction by examining
the relationship between temperature and the rate constant of said
reaction.
The effect of cooking method on Vitamin C content
Henna as an effective indicator
Free caffeine in coffee vs various teas
Effect of roasting on caffeine content of coffee
Ca content of lentils
Change of [Fe] in avocados as they ripen
The effect of increased carbon dioxide on the acidification of salt water
Energy content of foods / compared to printed values on the packaging
The effect of temperature on the pH of ascorbic acid solutions

SPREADSHEETS
producing artificial seawater using spreadsheets for calculations
studying carbonate system equilibria in aquariums using Excel for
calculations
Calculating pI of proteins
Study kinetics of a reaction with software such as ChemKinetics, Using
Excel or Modellus.

DATABASES
NIST or any of the many excellent databases available in the web could
be used to investigate trends in C-H, N-H, and O-H Bond dissociation
enthalpies
Comparing experimental data related to structure of compounds with
values predicted by software such as MOPAC, WebMO or GAMESS
Investigating intermolecular forces using software such as SAPT

Investigating the effect of isotopes on vibrational spectra comparing

experimental results with those predicted by programmes such as
Spartan Student, Molden or Tinker
Analyzing environmental topics from databases such as those from EPA,
European Environment Agency, United Nations Environment
Programme, Database of Environmental Education Related
Organizations Among Asian Countries or NETROnline
Environmental issues offer endless possibilities.
Comparing structures of drugs to their various properties - there are
many large databases to access - i.e. drugbank.ca ,
https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chembldb/
List of 64 free chemistry databases: http://depthfirst.com/articles/2011/10/12/sixty-four-free-chemistry-databases/
Exploring the relationship between the molecular mass/number of
hydroxyl groups within a chemical compound and its solubility in water.

SIMULATIONS
Investigate the Influence of surrounding chemical environment on NMR
spectra using WinDNMR and relate these structures to chemical
reactions or establish changes in terms of modifications in temperature.
The information can then be exported to spreadsheets for further
analysis.
Simulation investigations might determine data in a straight-forward
way (like playing a computer game) but then the student should use
this simulation for processing data, or comparing with experimental
results either personally collected or from data bases taking one step
beyond the simulation, to find something new.
Students need insight and initiative when using simulations to reach
expected depth.
Simulations on their own do not meet requirements of the criteria.
Student write their own program to simulate a
process/reaction/relationship.