Development of skills
Before I started this unit, I did not have many of the skills because I have never done any of the
experiments before. Unit 2 help me realise that I had hidden skills that I never used and helped me
develop so many more. Most of the apparatus we used were different from the ones I know and some
of them were new and interesting. This unit puts in practice every skill and knowledge that a I must have
to achieve a quality work. Here are some of the skills I had and developed in unit 2.
Skills when I started the course Skill gained in unit 2 Skills to develop further
I have never used and seen a For the first time I was taught I want to learn how to Digital
burette before I started unit 2. how to use a burette which burette which is a faster and
gives more accurate and precise with better accuracy compared
volume. to others.
I have used a paper funnel in I used plastic funnel to put HCL How to use bigger funnels from
filtration process. in the burette to avoid pouring. industries.
I have used analogue For further develop I want to
thermometer (liquid) to I learnt how to use the digital learn how to use a probe
measure temperature. thermometer which shows the thermometer, a dataloggers
readings in s small screen. and infrared thermometers.
I knew how to weight to a full I started to weight solution in 2 For further develop I want to
gram (2 g). or 3 decimal places (1.32g or learn how to use analytical
1.321g) with normal scale. balance which have 0.1 mg
readability.
I have never calibrated a scale I learnt how to calibrate a scale Be able to learn how to do fluid
before. which is a key step before flow calibration, pressure
starting the experiment to calibration, electrical
ensure accurate and true calibration.
results.
I have never used a colorimeter I used a digital colorimeter to I want to learn how to use a
before. measure the absorbance of spectrophotometer which
wavelengths of light at detects the whole range of UV
particular frequency. and tristimulus colorimeter
which measures a colour
differences and tolerance.
I have never used a graduated I used a graduated pipette to I want to learn how to use an
pipette to measure small ensure that I did not pass the automated pipette, which will
volumes of substances. volume required while filling in give more accurate result.
cylinder volume.
I have used a pH paper to I used a pH meter to measure Use a multiparameter meter to
measure pH. the pH of solutions while doing measure pH with high accuracy,
titration. which contain LED (Light
Emitting Diodes) lighting that
eliminates errors.
I have never used a TLC paper I used thin layer TLC paper to Use a laboratory filter paper to
as I have never done a separate compounds in a separate the compounds. And
, chromatography experiment mixture. And how to calculate selecting appropriate solvents
before Rf values to identify to get best results.
compounds.
I knew how to measure distance I learnt how to use vernier I want to improve and learn
with ruler. calliper to measure distances of how to use a micrometre for
small objects. precision measurements.
I knew how to plot graphs in I learnt how to use Excel to plot I want to learn how to use
paper. graphs which shows better different data applications to
results. plot graphs.
I have never done a I learnt how to use a I want to learn how to use a
chromatography experiment micropipette to transfer the fume cupboard to dry the
before. solution to the paper chromatography paper to be
chromatography and wait until able to see better and faster
it dries completely. results.
I have never calibrated a I learnt how to calibrate I want to learn how to calibrate
thermometer before. thermometer with ice and cold thermometer with
water. thermocouple which is an
electrical machine that consists
of two diverse types of metal
joined together to one end.
I have used cylinder pipette to I learnt how to use a volumetric I want to learn how to use
measure volumes of pipette of 25 cm3, which is a volumetric pipette of 10 cm3 or
substances. complex apparatus and requires 5 cm3.
skills.
Summary of Personal Competencies and Scientific Skills
Burette is a fragile, thin glass tube delicate apparatus which requires a lot of attention and cautions
while using it. For example, when you fill the burette, you might or might not use the whole liquid
inside, so it is important to avoid distractions while removing the liquid using the stopcock through the
tip. The stopcock valve is the control of the flow of the liquid from the tube. When I first use this
equipment, I had problems managing how to open and close the burette, but after more practice, I felt
improvement, and I had more control of the burette, which helped me getting accurate results. This
apparatus gives a more accurate result, it can be used to give a precise volume of liquids from 0.00 to
50.00 cm3. This was a skill that I managed to develop in my second practice, I felt more confident from
there. But before I worked with the burette, I did calibrate the apparatus first to ensure that I was going
to have results closer to the true values and second to ensure that the apparatus was working properly.
And to do that first I rinsed out the burette with distilled water and allowed it to dry completely, this
also help avoiding contamination. Then by using a funnel I put some distilled water in until past the zero
line, then I slowly let the water out until it arrives zero and I made sure there was no bubbles inside as
well. Then I recorded the mass of an empty beaker, then I release the water from the burette to the
beaker until it reached 25 cm3 , using a direct line of sight to ensure the volume reading is right. After
that I recorded the mass of the beaker with the water, I minus the two masses and I end up with the
mass of the water which as 25.00g. This was just the mass of the water, but I needed to calculate the
Before I started this unit, I did not have many of the skills because I have never done any of the
experiments before. Unit 2 help me realise that I had hidden skills that I never used and helped me
develop so many more. Most of the apparatus we used were different from the ones I know and some
of them were new and interesting. This unit puts in practice every skill and knowledge that a I must have
to achieve a quality work. Here are some of the skills I had and developed in unit 2.
Skills when I started the course Skill gained in unit 2 Skills to develop further
I have never used and seen a For the first time I was taught I want to learn how to Digital
burette before I started unit 2. how to use a burette which burette which is a faster and
gives more accurate and precise with better accuracy compared
volume. to others.
I have used a paper funnel in I used plastic funnel to put HCL How to use bigger funnels from
filtration process. in the burette to avoid pouring. industries.
I have used analogue For further develop I want to
thermometer (liquid) to I learnt how to use the digital learn how to use a probe
measure temperature. thermometer which shows the thermometer, a dataloggers
readings in s small screen. and infrared thermometers.
I knew how to weight to a full I started to weight solution in 2 For further develop I want to
gram (2 g). or 3 decimal places (1.32g or learn how to use analytical
1.321g) with normal scale. balance which have 0.1 mg
readability.
I have never calibrated a scale I learnt how to calibrate a scale Be able to learn how to do fluid
before. which is a key step before flow calibration, pressure
starting the experiment to calibration, electrical
ensure accurate and true calibration.
results.
I have never used a colorimeter I used a digital colorimeter to I want to learn how to use a
before. measure the absorbance of spectrophotometer which
wavelengths of light at detects the whole range of UV
particular frequency. and tristimulus colorimeter
which measures a colour
differences and tolerance.
I have never used a graduated I used a graduated pipette to I want to learn how to use an
pipette to measure small ensure that I did not pass the automated pipette, which will
volumes of substances. volume required while filling in give more accurate result.
cylinder volume.
I have used a pH paper to I used a pH meter to measure Use a multiparameter meter to
measure pH. the pH of solutions while doing measure pH with high accuracy,
titration. which contain LED (Light
Emitting Diodes) lighting that
eliminates errors.
I have never used a TLC paper I used thin layer TLC paper to Use a laboratory filter paper to
as I have never done a separate compounds in a separate the compounds. And
, chromatography experiment mixture. And how to calculate selecting appropriate solvents
before Rf values to identify to get best results.
compounds.
I knew how to measure distance I learnt how to use vernier I want to improve and learn
with ruler. calliper to measure distances of how to use a micrometre for
small objects. precision measurements.
I knew how to plot graphs in I learnt how to use Excel to plot I want to learn how to use
paper. graphs which shows better different data applications to
results. plot graphs.
I have never done a I learnt how to use a I want to learn how to use a
chromatography experiment micropipette to transfer the fume cupboard to dry the
before. solution to the paper chromatography paper to be
chromatography and wait until able to see better and faster
it dries completely. results.
I have never calibrated a I learnt how to calibrate I want to learn how to calibrate
thermometer before. thermometer with ice and cold thermometer with
water. thermocouple which is an
electrical machine that consists
of two diverse types of metal
joined together to one end.
I have used cylinder pipette to I learnt how to use a volumetric I want to learn how to use
measure volumes of pipette of 25 cm3, which is a volumetric pipette of 10 cm3 or
substances. complex apparatus and requires 5 cm3.
skills.
Summary of Personal Competencies and Scientific Skills
Burette is a fragile, thin glass tube delicate apparatus which requires a lot of attention and cautions
while using it. For example, when you fill the burette, you might or might not use the whole liquid
inside, so it is important to avoid distractions while removing the liquid using the stopcock through the
tip. The stopcock valve is the control of the flow of the liquid from the tube. When I first use this
equipment, I had problems managing how to open and close the burette, but after more practice, I felt
improvement, and I had more control of the burette, which helped me getting accurate results. This
apparatus gives a more accurate result, it can be used to give a precise volume of liquids from 0.00 to
50.00 cm3. This was a skill that I managed to develop in my second practice, I felt more confident from
there. But before I worked with the burette, I did calibrate the apparatus first to ensure that I was going
to have results closer to the true values and second to ensure that the apparatus was working properly.
And to do that first I rinsed out the burette with distilled water and allowed it to dry completely, this
also help avoiding contamination. Then by using a funnel I put some distilled water in until past the zero
line, then I slowly let the water out until it arrives zero and I made sure there was no bubbles inside as
well. Then I recorded the mass of an empty beaker, then I release the water from the burette to the
beaker until it reached 25 cm3 , using a direct line of sight to ensure the volume reading is right. After
that I recorded the mass of the beaker with the water, I minus the two masses and I end up with the
mass of the water which as 25.00g. This was just the mass of the water, but I needed to calculate the
