World of materials

Millions of portable media players have been sold over the last few years. Young people are especially crazy about this hi-tech gadget. But have you ever thought what’s inside this digital device and what makes it so handy?

Environmental issues such as climate change, water pollution and renewable energy make the news headlines and have become increasingly important in every day life. Many people perceive chemistry and the chemical industry as harmful to the environment. However, many new advances and scientific researches in the field of chemistry are helping us to develop more environment friendly materials and applications, while preserving the quality and the lifestyle we expect.

Do you know what the invention of the telephone, the Post-it note and the discovery of Velcro have in common? All were discovered by accident. Usually scientific progress is associated with rigorous research and analysis, but it’s not always the case. A surprising number of discoveries owe a lot to chance.

You can have fun learning about chemistry! This is a selection of useful resources focusing on petrochemistry and materials. This set of teaching and learning resources aims to help teachers prepare lessons and give students further background information on the key themes of the project. These resources are available in various formats including Web links, quizzes and online games.

Heli is 13 years old and lives in Espoo, close to Helsinki, Finland. She enjoys going to the local school and will soon start her 7th year. Last year she failed a science test and had some extra classes with Mr Tovalen, a specialised science teacher. After a few weeks under Mr Tovalen’s leadership, Heli saw chemistry as a fun and fascinating topic and even decided she would work in the Research Lab at the Porvoo refinery.