Free Science courses

Control of Temperature in HomeothermsAnimals capable of temperature regulation within a given range are deemed homeotherms (alternatively homiotherms or homotherms). They have the ability to......

As mentioned in previous pages, the genetic information found in DNA is essential in creating all the characteristics of an organism. This remains the case when passing genetic information......

To learn more about arthropods, look at the previous page. The Class Insecta of the Arthropoda Phylum is by far the most successful and diverse taxon on planet Earth. In fact, there are more......

Hormones are chemical messengers produced by glands in the endocrine system . Endocrine tissues are specialised to produce such hormones, which have genes switched on according the the hormones......

Vascular plants-Ferns and relativesThese plants are seedless plants, but unlike the bryophytes, they do have vascular tissue (xylem and phloem). Because of the presence of vascular tissue, the......

Warning! If you aren't happy with describing electron arrangements in s and p notation, and with the shapes of s and p orbitals, you really should read about orbitals. Use the BACK button on......

This page describes the reaction between alcohols and metallic sodium, and takes a very brief look at the properties of the alkoxide which is formed. We will look at the reaction between sodium......

This page looks at some typical reactions of diazonium ions, including examples of both substitution reactions and coupling reactions. If you have come straight to this page from a search engine......

This page takes a very brief look at what happens if the code in DNA becomes changed in some way, and the effect that would have on the proteins it codes for. It is designed for 16 - 18 year......

This page continues looking at the names of organic compounds containing chains of carbon atoms. It assumes that you have already looked at the introductory page covering compounds from alkanes......

This page gives you the facts and simple, uncluttered mechanisms for the electrophilic substitution reaction between benzene and alkenes in the presence of a mixture of aluminium chloride and......

A simple view In any introductory chemistry course you will have come across the electronic structures of hydrogen and carbon drawn as: Note: There are many places where you could still make use......

This page builds on your understanding of the acid catalysed dehydration of alcohols. You have to be wary with more complicated alcohols in case there is the possibility of more than one alkene......

This page looks at the phase diagrams for non-ideal mixtures of liquids, and introduces the idea of an azeotropic mixture (also known as an azeotrope or constant boiling mixture). It goes on......

This page has a brief look at some of the more important uses of the simple alcohols like methanol, ethanol and propan-2-ol. Uses of ethanol Drinks The "alcohol" in alcoholic drinks is simply......

This page deals with Raoult's Law and how it applies to mixtures of two volatile liquids. It covers cases where the two liquids are entirely miscible in all proportions to give a single liquid -......

This page looks at how the information coded in messenger RNA is used to build protein chains. It is designed for 16 - 18 year old chemistry students. If you are a biochemistry or biology student,......

It only takes one biological cell to create an organism. In fact, there are countless species of single celled organisms, and indeed multi-cellular organisms like ourselves. A single cell is able......

Through millions of years of evolution, animals living in an aquatic environment have diversified to occupy the ecological niches available in the ecosystem. When studying the habitats of......

If you have jumped straight to this page, you may wish to look at the previous page about DNA , which gives background information on protein synthesis. As mentioned, a string of nucleotides......