CSRP and Murdoch University Extractive Metallurgy teamed to offer two one-hour professional development sessions at the Science Teachers Association of Western Australia (STAWA) Future Science 2005 on Friday 25 November at Murdoch University. Nick Welham, Ken Seymour and Dan Churach presented two different workshops:
Copper is a crucial metal for modern living with approximately 10 millions tonnes of metal produced from minerals each year. Around 80% of this is from sulphide minerals using a high temperature route which produces sulphur dioxide. The remaining 20% is produced from oxidised ores, which contain the highly colourful minerals malachite and azurite, using very simple chemistry. The workshop allowed the participants to produce copper metal from an oxide ore using the same chemical processes as those used in industry. The equipment employed for the experiments was simple (water bottles, dry cell batteries, etc.) with the aim being that teachers could readily duplicate the whole extraction process in a school laboratory at low cost with low hazard reagents. Each participant was given comprehensive notes on the extraction of copper and the experimental method. Also included were some suggestions how the experiment can be used within the Western Australian Curriculum Framework.
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This workshop introduced teachers to a very wide array of minerals which are used in everyday life, either directly as, for example, a filler in paper, or indirectly as the source of metals. Using the Murdoch Mineral Sets, a range of different properties of minerals were examined, including colour, hardness, cleavage, density and lustre. Once these were examined, participants tried their hand at deriving a reproducible and reliable method for identification based on the properties examined. Each attendee received a comprehensive booklet covering the properties of minerals and the derivation of a comprehensive identification scheme. Participants have been offered the opportunity to borrow a mineral set for use within their classes.
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