The Hindu : National : ‘Chemistry is boring because of the way it is taught in schools'

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‘Chemistry is boring because of the way it is taught in schools'

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: Is chemistry a boring subject? Almost half the number of students, assembled at J.N. Tata auditorium of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), raised their hands when this question was posed to them during the launch of the “International Year of Chemistry-2011” here on Saturday.

However, this reaction from the students of high school and pre-university did not surprise the two eminent scientists – C.N.R. Rao, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, and Uday Maitra, Chairman of the Department of Organic Chemistry, IISc.

Prof. Maitra, who posed this question to the students, told them that chemistry had become boring for many students because of the way it was taught in schools and colleges. In fact, he did succeed in attracting students towards chemical reactions when he demonstrated chemiluminescent reactions in conical flasks, producing “lights” of different colours by mixing certain chemicals, as lights in the auditorium were switched off.

Chemiluminescence is the emission of electromagnetic radiation during the course of chemical reactions.

A video demonstration on explosion of frozen water, a song with video on periodic table of chemical elements, and a live demonstration of explosion of hydrogen-filled balloon, etc., too attracted the students.

The curious students engaged themselves in a discussion soon after the event, as Prof. Maitra asked them to find answers to some questions, among which was: why instructions are given on a box of jelly crystal that it should not be used with fresh pineapple.

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