Clearing Oil Spills

We investigate the effectiveness of different methods to clear oil spills from water. First, we try to burn the oil in a sample of water using a gas lighter but there is no effect. Next, we break the oil up using detergent but this does not remove it from the water. Finally, we add a long-chain polymer that absorbs oil. This can then be removed by hand.

Chemistry - Chemical Industries - Learning Points.
Oil spills are a serious environmental hazard.
Oil can be burned if temperatures are high enough, but this releases a lot of pollution and is only successful on calm seas.
Detergent or surfactant molecules can be used to emulsify the oil in the sea; this works well in rough seas.
Hydrocarbon stabilisation polymers allow the oil to be removed as a solid mass but this is too expensive to use on a large scale.

A Twig Experiment Film.
Let students experience real experiments in lab conditions anywhere, from setup, method all the way through to analysis and real-world application.