Red gold and a sunset at the "Science Club for Girls"

7 November 2023

Photo: UHH/MIN, Skadi Kull

The students assemble model rapid tests in the laboratory.

Experiments in the lab, getting to know equipment, insights into everyday university life and studying chemistry. In the "Science Club for Girls", the "Molecules & Schools" school laboratory offers exciting experiments in physical chemistry over several modules.

The second module in the 2023 summer vacation was all about "Nanoparticles in everyday life". First, the ten schoolgirls investigated various phenomena in the laboratory. They produced red gold and water-repellent surfaces or created a sunset in a beaker. On the second day, the focus was on finding out where nanoparticles are already used in everyday life, such as in the rapid coronavirus test. The students learned how a rapid test works and then built their own model rapid tests. In the afternoon, they then learned about the various devices that can be used to examine nanoparticles. These included the scanning electron microscope and UV/Vis spectrometer. This also revealed why the self-synthesized gold particles actually look red.

What was also red was the raspberry ice cream that the schoolgirls made themselves on the second day using liquid nitrogen. In addition to science, the girls also had the opportunity to get to know the university campus a little by visiting the canteen together. On this occasion, the student tutors were also able to answer any questions about studying chemistry.

"All the participants have told us that they would like to take part in further Chemistry School Lab events," says Molecules & Schools coordinator Skadi Kull. "That's why the next course is already being planned and will probably take place shortly before Christmas and include exciting experiments for winter."

The "Science Club for Girls" program offers schoolgirls from year 9 onwards the opportunity to experiment in the chemistry school laboratory at Universität Hamburg during the vacations and thus gain an insight into the diverse world of chemistry. The vacation program and the Molecules & Schools chemistry school laboratory are funded by the Cluster of Excellence CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter. The "Science Club for Girls" summer vacation course directly followed on from the March vacation course. There, pigments were produced and dyes were purified. A summary (in German) of the "Pigment & Dye" module was published by a participant as part of a school project.