Quick Dips

Olympic Success

Nine months of intensive study, training and planning has paid off for the New Zealand Chemistry Olympiad team, with the group gaining two medals in their first ever showing.

The four-member team was one from 33 countries competing in the international trials held in the US. The five-hour practical task involved determining the effect of carbon dioxide on the solubility of calcium carbonate; the theoretical questions included determining the effects of heavy rain on oyster growth and examining the organic chemistry of pheromones.

The team was supported by the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and by a number of private companies, including Tasman Pulp and Paper, Union Carbide, Mobil Oil and Rohm and Haas.