SCIENCE students enjoyed testing out the facilities at two Russell Group universities thanks to funding from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The first group of 15 took part in masterclasses at the new teaching hub at the University of Liverpool.
They explored the chemistry of pain as they carried out the synthesis and analysis of benzocaine, a local anaesthetic commonly used as a pain reliever or in cough drops.
In a session entitled ‘Let there be light’ they investigated the kinetics of a reaction involving TiO2 in the photocatalytic decomposition of organic material using spectrophotometers.
A further 15 students travelled to the University of Manchester to investigate synthesis, spectroscopy and chromatography.
The students were welcomed by Dr Frank Mair and given a tour of the facilities including X-ray and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
They were then given the chance to synthesise and analyse diphenylmethanol from benzophenone.
