Safety amendment to PAG activity 5.3, oxidation of ethanol for AS/A Level Chemistry A (H032, H432) and Chemistry B (Salters) (H033, H433) (both from 2015) 

The learner sheet and the teacher/technician guidance for PAG activity 5.3, oxidation of ethanol, have been updated. The revised procedure instructs the learner to cool the reaction mixture in an ice–water bath when adding ethanol. Additionally, sodium dichromate is used instead of potassium dichromate for reasons of solubility.

The revised version is numbered version 2.1. Please discard any older versions of this activity. The most up to date version can be downloaded from the Science Co-ordinator area on Interchange.

PAG activities may be updated from time to time in response to feedback received from centres, to clarify information or to improve procedures. We recommend that all science teachers sign up to receive e-mail notifications when changes are made. To be notified when changes are made, please e-mail positiveaboutpractical@ocr.org.uk including your centre number, centre name, a contact name, and the subject(s) for which you wish to receive updates.

We remind centres that all practical activities should be trialled before being given to students, and that it is the responsibility of teachers to ensure that they have undertaken a risk assessment in accordance with their employer’s requirements. Centres may choose to make adaptations to the practicals published by OCR, or use alternative practical activities to cover the requirements of the Practical Endorsement.

If you have any queries about this notice, please call our Customer Contact Centre on 01223 553998.

Qualifications

• Chemistry A - H032, H432 (from 2015)
• Chemistry B (Salters) - H033, H433 (from 2015)