Lynn Gweeny Posted March 24, 2017 Report Share Posted March 24, 2017 Hi, I've been thinking about my Chemistry EE and came up with an idea, but need some opinions or suggestions on it: "How does the Kc of an indicator made from hibiscus (called Kind) change with temperature?" Another idea I had was "For what type of titration are hibiscus indicators the most effective: strong acid-strong base, weak acid-weak base, strong acid-weak base or weak acid-strong-base?". I'd like some thoughts on the above ideas. Thanks in advance! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac117 Posted March 24, 2017 Report Share Posted March 24, 2017 I have to say both of these topics sound rather interesting, but you don't give us much context. The second question seems quite long too, and for better comparison I'd maybe focus on two out of the four you mentioned. Try and think what you're interested in, and change things accordingly. It is important to remember the equipment limitations at your school, as you don't want to be doing your EE in some university lab - the examiners do not like that, at all. Chemistry EEs are quite tricky in terms of 'getting it to the point' so make sure you research a specific area. Good luck. Ps. Chem EEs rock. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC2Player Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 (edited) 18 hours ago, mac117 said: I have to say both of these topics sound rather interesting, but you don't give us much context. The second question seems quite long too, and for better comparison I'd maybe focus on two out of the four you mentioned. Try and think what you're interested in, and change things accordingly. It is important to remember the equipment limitations at your school, as you don't want to be doing your EE in some university lab - the examiners do not like that, at all. Chemistry EEs are quite tricky in terms of 'getting it to the point' so make sure you research a specific area. Good luck. Ps. Chem EEs rock. Er, I'm kinda doing my EE in a university lab. Oops. Does this mean I should try to simplify it, or do it in a school lab again? The university lab provided me with much more control, which was the main benefit overall. I can definitely simplify my experiment (I'm already planning on only optimizing one step of my synthesis to actually fit it in 4000 words). Honestly though, I kind of want to continue the work on after the IB - there's just so much I want to do with it. Edited March 25, 2017 by SC2Player Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Gweeny Posted March 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 (edited) Yeah, I was going to do it in a university lab too since I need a spectrophotometer to measure the Kc of an indicator. If I can't do it in a university lab, I can go for the second question and narrow it down to strong acid-strong base and weak acid-weak base. But I'm rather worried that this isn't a good enough idea for an EE since I'm basically replacing the artificial indicators already taught in class with natural indicators. Edited March 25, 2017 by Lynn Gweeny Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac117 Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 1 hour ago, SC2Player said: Er, I'm kinda doing my EE in a university lab. Oops. Does this mean I should try to simplify it, or do it in a school lab again? The university lab provided me with much more control, which was the main benefit overall. I can definitely simplify my experiment (I'm already planning on only optimizing one step of my synthesis to actually fit it in 4000 words). Honestly though, I kind of want to continue the work on after the IB - there's just so much I want to do with it. I would try to simplify it, but your main focus was to make sure you are definitely showing all the work was done by you. From the examiners' reports I've read their main concern and comments were that many of the labs done at university labs were too complex to explain by the high school students and came across as work give by someone more qualified to the student. Whilst it does not mean you are going to score a worse grade, you definitely are going to have to be very very clear with what you write to show your personal engagement and knowledge. I have seen quite a few successful EEs conducted in a university lab, so don't worry! You can read what I'm talking about here: http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/4112/1475967/Chemistry_EE_Examiner_s_Report_2015.pdf I tried to find more reports which states this (I had the 2016 one somewhere!) but this pattern and comments on this have been done quite often. In the 2015 report the examiners are in fact happy the number of EEs done in university labs have decreased. It has largely to do with the supervision as well. IB teachers have been approved by the IBO so they have this minimal 'standard' and know how to fulfil the IB requirements, whereas many uni labs/supervisors simply cannot do that, even if they have higher qualifications, as sometimes it is really about fitting in with the mark scheme. Didn't mean to scare you, just passing on what I've been told and what I've read. @Lynn Gweeny If you have the option not to do it in a university lab, I'd say you don't do it. My initial topic was going to do just that, and I even contacted my local university and was told there would be no issue with me conducting the experiment there. With some more research I decided to do something less complicated that I could do at my school (I did have to buy a few things, but the cost didn't go above 50 Euros), and it gives me the mental comfort of knowing that the person supervising me knows exactly what I have to do and how to guide me so that I do well. Remember that an EE is just a research in an area you're interested in, and does not necessarily mean you have to change the world Good luck to both of you! 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Gweeny Posted March 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 Thanks a lot for that advice! So do you suggest I just go ahead with that idea? P.S. Hopefully, my EE will rock too Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac117 Posted March 25, 2017 Report Share Posted March 25, 2017 1 hour ago, Lynn Gweeny said: Thanks a lot for that advice! So do you suggest I just go ahead with that idea? P.S. Hopefully, my EE will rock too It's up to you, really. I found the information I was looking for! This one is for Biology, but since it's a group 4 EE it applies to chemistry as well. I think it's a good advice if you decide to do a uni-lab EE. "Essays based on practical work carried out at a university or other research institution, have become less common but continue to be submitted. The current guide makes it very clear that essays of this type must be accompanied by a covering letter from a qualified person at the external institution but examiners continue to report that in many of cases, this requirement is not met. A cover letter should outline the role of the candidate in deciding the research approach as well as the type and extent of guidance provided at the institution. Clear evidence must be provided (in the form of a covering letter), that the candidate has had a sufficient level of input into decisions about the research approach and selection of methodology and sources. The candidate should justify these decisions within the text of the essay. The person(s) responsible at the outside institution should be made aware of the requirements and be asked to ensure that the candidate will have ample opportunity to plan and work independently. " Source: May 2015 IBO Biology Extended Essay Examiner's Report 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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