Salter Science facts for kids
Salter Science was a popular brand of science kits for kids. These kits were made by Thomas Salter Ltd., a company based in Scotland. They created fun toys and activity sets that helped children learn about science.
The company was well-known for its chemistry sets. But they also made kits for other cool topics. These included activities about electricity, using microscopes, and exploring magnetism. They even had kits to grow amazing crystal gardens!
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About Thomas Salter Ltd.
Thomas Salter Ltd. started a long time ago in London in 1913. Later, the company moved its operations to Glenrothes, a town in Fife, Scotland. The company continued to make toys and science kits for many years. However, Thomas Salter Ltd. closed its doors in 1992.
Beyond Science Kits
While Salter Science was famous for its science kits, the company made other exciting toys too. They produced an "Adventure Kit" for young explorers. This kit came with a water bottle, a compass, toy binoculars, and even a real working camera.
Some of their toys were inspired by popular TV shows. For example, they made a 'KOJAK' ACTION PACK. They also created a PROFESSIONALS CRIMEBUSTER KIT. These sets let kids pretend to be their favorite TV characters. The company also made craft sets, like plaster moulding kits to create frogs and owls.
Inside a Salter Science Chemistry Set
Salter Science chemistry sets came with many different chemicals. Each chemical had a number, and these numbers were the same across all the different sets. This made it easy to follow instructions, no matter which set you had.
Common Chemicals Included
Here are some of the chemicals you might find in these sets:
- Copper sulfate
- Sodium carbonate
- Calcium oxychloride
- Iron filings
- Calcium hydroxide
- Sodium hydrogen sulfate
- Tartaric acid
- Methyl orange
- Ferrous sulfate
- Ammonium carbonate
- Magnesium ribbon
- Copper wire
- Ammonium chloride
- Sodium thiosulfate
- Sodium perborate
- Cobalt chloride
- Potassium iodide
- Soluble starch
- Potassium iodate
- Sodium metabisulfite
- Carbon rods
- Sodium silicate
- Potassium persulfate
- Potassium chromate
- Zinc granulated
- Borax
- Iron alum
- Sky Blue
- Ion-exchange resin
- Magnesium sulfate
- Activated charcoal
Essential Equipment
Besides chemicals, the chemistry sets also included important tools for experiments. These tools helped young scientists perform their tests safely and accurately.
Common items found in the sets were:
- Small glass test tubes
- A spatula for scooping chemicals
- A funnel for pouring liquids
- Corks, some with holes and some without
- Glass tubes that fit into the cork holes
- A tiny glass saw to cut the tubes
- A small bottle brush for cleaning
- Test tube racks to hold the tubes
- A methylated spirit burner for heating things
Learning from the Manual
Each chemistry set came with an instruction manual. This manual was very helpful for young scientists. It taught them how to do many cool things with their equipment. For example, the manual explained how to heat glass tubes to make them bend into different shapes. It also showed how to stretch the tubes and then cut them in half using the tiny glass saw. This way, kids could make two pipettes from one tube.
