Classroon: teaching chromatography in junior secondary schools using local materials

Abstract

Local or inexpensive materials were used to develop models for teaching chromatography. The models were tried in two Junior Secondary Schools to find out if they could enhance the understanding of the topics. The results showed that using chalk stick, yam and cassava chips as stationary phase and water as mobile phase in separating the components of BIC black ink, yellow colour moved out first followed by red (deep pink) then blue - black colour for chalk stick, whilst for cassava and yam chips the ink separated with red colour first followed by blue-black colour and the separation was very slow. When locally manufactured alcohol (akpeteshie) was used in place of water, black ink from BIC pen separated with more distinct colour bands and the separation was very fast and the colour bands were very distinct. When syringe was used as the column, black ink from BIC pen as the mixture, water or alcohol as the mobile phase and chalk powder, maize powder or starch powder as stationary phase in the syringe, chalk powder as stationary phase and alcohol as mobile phase produced the best result where more colour separation took place. Ink with trademark name KOFA produced very poor colour separation when used in both cases. The trial results showed that the models enhanced the understanding of the topic in those classes that they were used compared to those classes that they were not used. In both schools A and B the differences between the means for the control and test experiments (t =3.53, P < 0.01 for school A and t =3.50, P < 0.01 for school B) were very highly significant.

Global Journal of Educational Research Vol. 5 (1&2) 2006: pp. 29-34