IB Chemistry standards for lab practicals are listed on this website from Diploma Programme, Chemistry teacher support material
Teachers are required to develop a practical scheme of work (PSOW). Practical skills may be assessed as part of the external assessment. The recommendations on this page are pulled from Vernier Chemistry lab manuals, Chemistry with Vernier (CWV) and Advanced Chemistry with Vernier (CHEM-A). Also, since inquiry-based learning programs are encouraged, activities from our books, Vernier Chemistry Investigations for Use with AP* Chemistry (APCHEM) and Investigating Chemistry through Inquiry (CHEM-I) are included, where appropriate.
For most of the prescribed practicals listed below, you will find a Vernier lab activity that matches well, along with the required sensors and equipment to perform the investigation. For some practicals, there may be multiple sensors or lab activities available. For others, there may not be a Vernier lab activity that matches up exactly, so you will find some suggested sensors to perform your own investigation.
With the exception of the Go Direct® SpectroVis® Plus Spectrophotometer (GDX-SVISPL), all other Go Direct sensors require Graphical Analysis software on your devices. Go Direct SpectroVis Plus requires either Logger Pro on computers or the Spectral Analysis app on other devices. Go Direct sensors are also compatible with LabQuest 2 App version 2.8.5 or LabQuest 3.
Your choice of sensors depends on the platform you plan to use to collect data. If you need help deciding, please contact Vernier Technical Support at 888.837.6437 or chemistry@vernier.com.
The shopping carts below contain all the Vernier sensors and accessories needed to teach IB Chemistry Prescribed Practicals using Vernier equipment.
Each can be edited to fit your needs.
The shopping carts below contain all the Vernier sensors and accessories needed to teach a complete IB Chemistry course using Vernier equipment.
Each can be edited to fit your needs.
If you would like to see a page of complete correlations of the IB Chemistry curriculum with Vernier experiments and equipment refer to this page: IB Chemistry – Vernier
Prescribed Practicals for IB Chemistry and suggested Vernier experiments and required equipment are shown below.
Topic 1.2: Obtaining and using experimental data for deriving empirical formulas from reactions involving mass changes
Suggested Lab Activities from Advanced Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 1: The Determination of a Chemical Formula
Exp 2: The Determination of the Percent Water in a Compound
Exp 15A and 15B: The Synthesis and Analysis of Alum
Sensors/Equipment:
Go Direct® Temperature Probe (GDX-TMP)
Stainless Steel Temperature Probe (TMP-BTA)
Topic 1.3: Use of the experimental method of titration to calculate the concentration of a solution by reference to a standard solution
Suggested Lab Activities from Advanced Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 6: Standardizing a Solution of Sodium Hydroxide
Exp 7: Acid-Base Titration
Suggested Lab Activity from Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 24: Acid-Base Titrations
Suggested Lab Activities from Vernier Chemistry Investigations for Use with AP* Chemistry (APCHEM)
Exp 4: The Acidity of Juice and Soft Drinks
Exp 14: Investigating Acid-Base Titrations
Suggested Lab Activity from Investigating Chemistry through Inquiry
Exp 17: Acid-Base Titrations
Sensors/Equipment:
Go Direct® pH Sensor (GDX-PH)
Go Direct® Drop Counter (GDX-DC) (optional)
pH Sensor (PH-BTA)
Drop Counter (VDC-BTD) (optional)
Topic 1.3: Obtaining and using experimental values to calculate the molar mass of a gas from the ideal gas equation
Suggested Lab Activity from Advanced Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 5: The Molar Volume of a Gas
Sensors/Equipment:
Go Direct® Gas Pressure Sensor (GDX-GP)
Go Direct® Temperature Probe (GDX-TMP)
Gas Pressure Sensor (GPS-BTA)
Stainless Steel Temperature Probe (TMP-BTA)
Topic 5.1: A calorimetry experiment for an enthalpy of reaction should be covered and the results evaluated
Suggested Lab Activity from Advanced Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 13: Determining the Enthalpy of a Chemical Reaction
Suggested Lab Activities from Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 17: Energy Content of Fuels
Exp 18: Additivity of Heats: Hess’s Law
Exp 19: Heat of Combustion of Magnesium
Suggested Lab Activities from Vernier Chemistry Investigations for Use with AP* Chemistry (APCHEM)
Exp 12: Investigating Commercial Hand Warmers
Suggested Lab Activity from Investigating Chemistry through Inquiry
Exp 9: Enthalpy Changes
Sensors/Equipment:
Go Direct® Temperature Probe (GDX-TMP)
Stainless Steel Temperature Probe (TMP-BTA)
Topic 6.1: Investigation of rates of reaction experimentally and evaluation of results
Suggested Lab Activities from Advanced Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 25: The Rate and Order of a Chemical Reaction
Exp 35: Rate Determination and Activation Energy
Suggested Lab Activity from Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 30: Rate Law Determination of the Crystal Violet Reaction
Suggested Lab Activities from Vernier Chemistry Investigations for Use with AP* Chemistry (APCHEM)
Exp 11: Investigating the Kinetics of a Crystal Violet Reaction
Suggested Lab Activity from Investigating Chemistry through Inquiry
Exp 22: Reaction Rates
Sensors/Equipment:
Go Direct® SpectroVis® Plus Spectrophotometer (GDX-SVISPL) or Go Direct® Colorimeter (GDX-COL)
Go Direct® Temperature Probe (GDX-TMP) (for Exp 35)
Colorimeter (COL-BTA)
Stainless Steel Temperature Probe (TMP-BTA) (for Exp 35)
Topic 8.2: Candidates should have experience of acid–base titrations with different indicators.
Suggested Lab Activity from Advanced Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 11: Investigating Indicators
Suggested Lab Activity from Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 23: Titration Curves of Strong and Weak Acids and Bases
Sensors/Equipment:
Go Direct® pH Sensor (GDX-PH)
Go Direct® Drop Counter (GDX-DC) (optional)
pH Sensor (PH-BTA)
Drop Counter (VDC-BTD) (optional)
Topic 8.3: Students should be familiar with the use of a pH meter and universal indicator
Suggested Lab Activity from Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 21: Household Acids and Bases
Suggested Lab Activity from Physical Science with Vernier
Exp 28: Household Acids and Bases
Sensors/Equipment:
Go Direct® pH Sensor (GDX-PH)
pH Sensor (PH-BTA)
Topic 9.2: Performance of laboratory experiments involving a typical voltaic cell using two metal/metal–ion half-cells
Suggested Lab Activity from Advanced Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 20: Electrochemistry: Voltaic Cells
Suggested Lab Activities from Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 28: Establishing a Table of Reduction Potentials: Micro-Voltaic Cells
Exp 29: Lead Storage Batteries
Sensors/Equipment:
Go Direct® Voltage Probe (GDX-VOLT)
Differential Voltage Probe (DVP-BTA)
Voltage Probe (VP-BTA)
Topic 19.1: Perform lab experiments that could include single replacement reactions in aqueous solutions
Suggested Lab Activity from Advanced Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 5: The Molar Volume of a Gas
Suggested Lab Activity from Chemistry with Vernier
Exp 19: Heat of Combustion of Magnesium
Suggested Lab Activities from Vernier Chemistry Investigations for Use with AP* Chemistry (APCHEM)
Exp 2: Determining the Copper Content in Brass
Sensors/Equipment:
Go Direct® Gas Pressure Sensor (GDX-GP)
Go Direct® Temperature Probe (GDX-TMP)
Gas Pressure Sensor (GPS-BTA)
Stainless Steel Temperature Probe (TMP-BTA)