Merseyside Young Analyst Competition 2006

Saturday 11th March 2006

This year's Merseyside Young Analyst Competition was the biggest ever, with 28 teams taking part. For the first time ever, the Isle of Man was represented: despite a delay to their flight, the team from King William's College made it just in time for the start of the competition. The Competition was held at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Liverpool, and was made possible by generous sponsorship from the Royal Society of Chemistry, and several industrial sponsors including United Utilities Warrington,Thermo Electron Corporation, Hercules, Urenco, Shell UK, Sigma Aldrich and Unilever Research.

Team photos

Prizewinners

Polymer chemistry was the theme of this year's competition. The practical exercises included the analysis of dicarboxylic acids (components of important condensation polymers) by titration with NaOH, which the teams had to standardise themselves. Identification of unknown polymer samples was the next part of the challenge. Students were introduced to the technique of IR spectroscopy (which was new to all of them) and ran their own spectra which they had to interpret.

weighing the sample

titrating

IR spectroscopy

TOP

Dr Jon Weever from Unilever Research gave a lecture on Polymer Chemistry in the afternoon, and the proceedings finished with tea and presentation of prizes by Dr Ken Rabone, chairman of the Liverpool Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

First prize went to Birkenhead School, who were followed very closely by Lymm High School in second place and and St Nicholas Catholic High School in third place. Birkenhead School will represent the Merseyside Region at the National Final of the RSC Schools Analytical Competition to be held at the University of Lincoln in June.