chemical reactions

Māori have many traditional uses for harakeke (Phormium tenax) such as the making of traps and fishing nets and the ...

Calcium carbonate is the principal mineral component of limestone. Its chemical and physical properties lie behind the modern-day uses of ...

Chemical rocket engines use a fuel (something to burn) and an oxidiser (something to react with the fuel). Together, they ...

Fire is the visible effect of the process of combustion – a special type of chemical reaction. It occurs between ...

From our bodies to our Earth’s oceans and rocks, acids and bases play an important role in our lives and ...

Every day, adults take around 20,000 breaths of air. Children, who breathe faster, take even more. The air we breathe plays an important role in both ...

Aotearoa New Zealand’s limestone caves are special places. To many Māori, they are tapu. To explorers and thrill seekers, they are a great place for an ...

Insects are vital for our ecosystems, but sometimes there are places where we don’t want them – destroying our gardens, eating our food crops and trees, ...

Antibiotic medicines have been an important development for human health, and they’re credited with improving the average human lifespan. While important for human and animal health, ...

We use chemicals every day, and they’re all around us. We know different chemicals come in different forms and that they will behave differently in different ...

Did you know there are over 30,000 chemicals approved for use across Aotearoa New Zealand? Who approves and regulates the use of these chemicals? How do ...

This Connected article by Ken Benn, looks at a class investigation into why they lost the boat float competition. It starts when student Meihanna asks “How ...

Proteins are one of four main classes of biomolecules in living organisms. The others are lipids, which form our membranes, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), which ...

Using the huge 2019 Nelson wildfire as a starter, this Connected article explores wildfires, focussing on: what wildfires are their causes how they affect us how ...

This Connected article starts with the question "What kind of sink can't be used to wash the dishes but can be grown in your garden?" The ...

Dr Rangi Te Kanawa is a textile conservator at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. She uses her knowledge of traditional dyeing practices, science ...

Rutherfordium is a synthetic chemical element. Its official chemical symbol is Rf, and its atomic number is 104, which means that a rutherfordium atom has 104 ...

Zinc is a chemical element. Its official symbol is Zn, and its atomic number is 30, which means each zinc atom has 30 protons in its ...

Sulfur is a chemical element. Its official symbol is S and its atomic number is 16, which means that each sulfur atom has 16 protons in ...

Oxygen is a chemical element – a substance that contains only one type of atom. Its official chemical symbol is O, and its atomic number is ...

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) assessed the flammability of a variety of exotic and native ...

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) looked at the impacts of exotic plant species on fires. ...

An inquiry approach is a method often used in science education. The question bank provides an initial list of questions about nanoscience and places where their ...

Nanoscience involves the study of chemical and physical changes that happen at the nanoscale. Researchers and scientists are interested in the nanoscale, because when many materials ...

Food’s macronutrients undergo chemical breakdown as they move through the digestive system. Learn more about the digestion process and its hormonal control with these explanations of ...

Find out about the physical and chemical properties of the ocean and explore the ocean’s role in transporting heat, water, salt and carbon around the Earth. ...

In October 2011, the Greek container ship MV Rena ran aground on Ōtāiti, also known as the Astrolabe Reef, off the coast of Tauranga. Explore what ...