Chemistry virtual labs

Simulated experiments, instruments and processes built on real scientific rules. Each lab has an aim, steps, tasks and exam questions, and links to the topics it supports.

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Type of lab

ExperimentMelting Point and PurityHeat pure and impure benzoic acid in capillary tubes in an oil bath, record when each starts and finishes melting, and use the results to judge purity.Open →ExperimentPaper ChromatographySpot food dyes and black ink on chromatography paper, watch them separate, measure the spots and calculate Rf values to identify an unknown.Open →ProcessSalt from Rock SaltGet pure salt from Khewra rock salt: dissolve, filter off the sand, evaporate to the crystallisation point and grow crystals, then work out the percentage of salt.Open →ExperimentSeparating Funnel: Solvent ExtractionExtract iodine from water into hexane in a separating funnel: shake, vent, let the layers settle and run off the lower layer at just the right moment.Open →ExperimentSimple and Fractional DistillationDistil sea water to get pure water, and separate ethanol from water with a fractionating column, while a live graph plots the thermometer reading.Open →

How the labs work

Each lab copies a real experiment, measuring instrument or natural process. The numbers come from the real scientific rules, and any simplification is stated under the lab.