Can my supervisor reject an IB Chemistry IA topic?

Yes, a supervisor can refuse a proposed topic or method when it is unsafe, impractical, too broad, or unlikely to generate appropriate evidence. Schools must consider their available equipment, technician support, chemical-storage rules, waste procedures, and local safety policies. Rejection does not necessarily mean the chemistry is academically unsuitable; the method may simply be impossible to supervise responsibly in that laboratory. Ask which specific feature caused concern, then revise the variable, concentration, scale, apparatus, or measurement technique. Obtain explicit approval before purchasing materials or beginning data collection.

Does an IB Chemistry IA idea need to be original?

The IB does not require you to discover new chemistry or invent a completely unprecedented experiment. Your investigation must be your own work and answer your own formulated research question, but it may build on established chemical methods. Originality can come from your chosen variable, range, chemical system, context, or analytical approach. You must cite sources used to develop the procedure and avoid copying another student's question, data, or wording. A well-adapted familiar experiment is usually stronger than an unusual investigation that cannot be controlled.

How many independent-variable values should a Chemistry IA use?

The IB does not prescribe one mandatory number of independent-variable values for every investigation. Approximately five or more well-spaced values often provide enough information to identify a trend, but this is practical advice rather than an official rule. Each value should ideally have repeated measurements so that variation and reliability can be assessed. Continuous data collection, such as gas volume against time, may produce many points within each trial and require a different design. Choose the number through pilot testing, considering time, precision, chemical consumption, and the analysis required.

Are food chemistry topics suitable for a Chemistry IA?

Food chemistry is suitable when the investigation centres on a chemical process and produces quantitative data. Examples include ascorbic acid concentration determined by redox titration, acid-neutralizing capacity, dye degradation measured by colorimetry, or lipid oxidation assessed through an approved analytical method. Questions based only on taste, preference, appearance, or broad claims about health are unlikely to provide sufficient chemistry. Commercial products can also introduce uncontrolled differences in composition, so use one product where possible or define comparisons carefully. Your conclusion should address the measured chemical relationship rather than claim that one food is universally healthier.

Can I use secondary data or a simulation for my Chemistry IA?

The current Chemistry course recognizes secondary data, simulations, modelling, and technology as valid parts of scientific inquiry. However, the investigation must still answer a focused student-formulated question through appropriate collection and analysis of data. A database investigation needs reliable sources, clear selection criteria, sufficient data, and chemical reasoning beyond reproducing published values. A simulation must permit meaningful manipulation, processing, and evaluation of assumptions or model limitations. Confirm the proposed approach with your supervisor because access requirements and school expectations may affect feasibility.

What is the safest type of Chemistry IA experiment?

No experiment is automatically safe because risk depends on concentrations, quantities, apparatus, heating, ventilation, and user competence. Low-concentration acid-base titrations, food-dye colorimetry, buffer investigations, and some solubility studies are often manageable under normal school supervision. Even these require eye protection, appropriate handling, labelled waste, and a method-specific risk assessment. Avoid assuming that household substances are harmless or that microscale work eliminates every hazard. Your supervisor and school safety procedures, supported by current safety data sheets, determine whether the final method is acceptable.

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IB Chemistry IA Ideas Supervisors Will Approve

IB Chemistry Internal Assessment IB IA

• 4 Oct 2026•12

IB Chemistry IA Ideas Supervisors Will Approve

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IB Chemistry IA Ideas Supervisors Will Approve | RevisionDojo

Back to all posts

IB Chemistry IA Ideas Supervisors Will Approve

IB Chemistry Internal Assessment IB IA

• 4 Oct 2026•12

The best IB Chemistry IA ideas are not necessarily unusual or technically advanced. Supervisors are more likely to approve an investigation when it is chemically meaningful, quantitatively measurable, safe, feasible with school equipment, and narrow enough to complete within the available time.

No topic can be guaranteed approval because schools apply local safety rules, equipment limits, and internal deadlines. However, the Chemistry IA topics below are built around accessible methods and manageable hazards, making them sensible starting points for a supervisor discussion.

What your Chemistry IA must accomplish

The current IB Chemistry internal assessment is officially called the scientific investigation. According to the official IB Chemistry subject brief, it is an open-ended investigation in which you gather and analyse data to answer your own research question.

For both SL and HL, the investigation:

Contributes 20% of the final Chemistry grade
Has a recommended duration of 10 hours
Produces an individual report of no more than 3,000 words
Is assessed through Research design, Data analysis, Conclusion, and Evaluation
Is marked out of 24, with 6 marks available for each criterion

The IB does not publish a list of automatically approved topics. Your supervisor instead considers whether the proposed method can produce sufficient evidence safely and whether the question permits meaningful chemical analysis. The IB Chemistry curriculum page also confirms that practical work may include hands-on experiments, simulations, modelling, and appropriate technology.

What makes an IA idea easy to approve

A supervisor needs more than an interesting title. A defensible proposal should identify a variable that can be changed systematically, an outcome measured quantitatively, and chemical theory that explains the expected relationship.

Use this research-question structure:

How does [independent variable with range and units] affect [quantitative dependent variable with units] in [defined chemical system], as determined using [measurement method]?

A strong proposal normally includes:

One focused independent variable, preferably tested across approximately five sensible values
A quantitative dependent variable, such as rate, concentration, absorbance, voltage, pH, mass, or enthalpy change
Repeated measurements that reveal random variation
Controls for temperature, concentration, volume, timing, surface area, or other relevant conditions
A planned graph or calculation connected to chemical theory
Available chemicals and equipment with suitable precision
A teacher-approved risk assessment and waste-disposal plan

Five values and repeated trials are practical recommendations, not fixed IB rules. The appropriate number depends on the system, measurement method, available time, and quality of the resulting evidence.

Safe and feasible IB Chemistry IA ideas

The following categories are starting points rather than ready-made projects. Adjust the substances, ranges, and methods after discussing laboratory resources with your supervisor.

Topic category	Possible independent variable	Quantitative dependent variable	Why it is feasible	Main caution
Reaction kinetics	Dilute reactant concentration	Initial gas-production rate	Gas syringes and common reagents are widely available	Prevent leaks and avoid reactions that are too fast
Acid-base chemistry	Buffer component ratio	Moles of acid needed for a fixed pH change	Uses standard solutions, pH probes, or titration	Calibrate the probe and control total volume
Food chemistry	Storage temperature or heating time	Vitamin C concentration by titration	Uses accessible samples and familiar redox chemistry	Standardize preparation and endpoint detection
Electrochemistry	Metal-ion concentration	Cell potential	Provides direct numerical measurements and theoretical comparison	Collect metal-ion waste according to school rules
Adsorption	Activated-carbon mass	Dye concentration remaining	Can use safe food dyes and colorimetry	Standardize particle size, mixing, and contact time
Energetics	Reactant concentration	Experimental molar enthalpy change	Uses straightforward calorimetry	Heat loss may overwhelm small differences
Solubility	Temperature	Solubility in g per 100 g water	Requires relatively simple equipment	Confirm equilibrium and prevent evaporation
Water chemistry	Calcium-ion concentration	Soap volume required for a fixed endpoint	Uses low-risk materials and clear variables	A visual foam endpoint may be subjective

Kinetics ideas

Kinetics works well because continuous measurements can produce many data points from each trial. Suitable systems include magnesium with dilute hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide decomposition, or an iodine clock reaction approved by your teacher.

Possible questions include:

How does hydrochloric acid concentration affect the initial rate of hydrogen production from a fixed mass and surface area of magnesium?
How does temperature affect the rate constant of an iodine clock reaction?
How does potassium iodide concentration affect the initial oxygen-production rate from dilute hydrogen peroxide?

Avoid relying only on the time for a vaguely judged visual change. A gas syringe, colorimeter, light sensor, or clearly defined endpoint generally produces stronger evidence. The RevisionDojo guide to Chemistry IA kinetics ideas explains how these systems can support rate calculations and Arrhenius analysis.

Acid-base and analytical ideas

Titration investigations are often approved because schools already possess the equipment and standard procedures. The challenge is to investigate a relationship rather than merely determine one unknown concentration.

Promising directions include:

Buffer composition and resistance to added acid
Storage conditions and the titratable acidity of fruit juice
Antacid formulation and acid-neutralizing capacity using back titration
Concentration and percentage ionization of a weak acid

A question such as “Which antacid is best?” is too broad and introduces uncontrolled differences between products. A better question defines effectiveness as moles of acid neutralized per gram under standardized conditions.

Electrochemistry and environmental chemistry ideas

A zinc-copper electrochemical cell can support comparisons with the Nernst equation. You might investigate how copper(II) ion concentration affects open-circuit potential while controlling temperature, electrode preparation, immersion depth, and the salt bridge.

Adsorption provides another accessible route. For example, vary activated-carbon mass and measure the concentration of a food dye remaining by colorimetry. The RevisionDojo electrochemistry IA guide includes further variables and explains why chloride electrolysis and heavy-metal waste require particular caution.

Energetics and solubility ideas

Simple calorimetry can be effective when the expected differences are larger than heat-loss uncertainty. Neutralization or dissolution is generally easier to control than open-flame combustion, where incomplete combustion, evaporation, soot formation, and substantial heat loss can obscure the trend.

Solubility investigations are also manageable if equilibrium is established consistently. Suitable variables include temperature, solvent composition, or ionic conditions, provided the chemicals remain safe and the measurement method can distinguish relatively small changes.

Common reasons supervisors reject Chemistry IA topics

Rejection reason	Weak proposal	How to repair it
Unsafe procedure	Heating a sealed gas-producing system	Use vented apparatus or a gas syringe after formal risk assessment
Hazardous chemicals or waste	Electrolysing concentrated chloride solutions	Choose a safer electrolyte or an approved microscale alternative
No measurable relationship	“Investigating antioxidants”	Define one variable and measure antioxidant concentration using a justified method
Mostly biology	Comparing yeast growth under different conditions	Focus on a chemical quantity, such as reaction rate or ethanol concentration
Consumer-product ranking	“Which juice is healthiest?”	Investigate how storage temperature affects ascorbic acid concentration in one defined juice
Equipment unavailable	Measuring absorbance without a colorimeter	Confirm access first or select titration, mass, voltage, pH, or gas-volume measurements
Expected change too small	Comparing nearly identical substances with crude equipment	Pilot the extreme values and widen the range safely
Excessive scope	Changing temperature, concentration, and catalyst together	Change one principal variable and control the others
Pure demonstration	Repeating one standard reaction once	Create a systematic range, repeats, processing, and theory-based comparison
Copied question	Submitting an online question unchanged	Adapt the system, range, rationale, and method to your own context

Novelty does not compensate for poor control. A familiar acid-base or kinetics experiment with justified ranges, careful uncertainty treatment, and a strong conclusion is usually more defensible than a complicated synthesis that produces little reliable data.

Test your idea before seeking final approval

Prepare a one-page proposal containing the research question, chemical rationale, variables, apparatus, brief method, risk controls, disposal plan, and intended processing. The RevisionDojo research-question guide can help you turn a general interest into a measurable question.

Then run pilot trials at the lower, middle, and upper values of the proposed range. Check whether:

The effect is larger than the instrument uncertainty
The reaction is neither instantaneous nor impractically slow
The apparatus has sufficient capacity and precision
Replicate results are reasonably consistent
Important controls can be maintained
Waste volumes remain manageable

Pilot data may show that your first question needs revision. That is productive scientific decision-making, not failure. For broader planning, use the current RevisionDojo Chemistry IA guide and compare possible starting points in the collection of 50 Chemistry IA ideas.

Conclusion

Strong IB Chemistry IA ideas combine measurable variables, relevant chemical theory, adequate data, manageable hazards, and a method your school can actually support. Supervisor rejection usually results from safety problems, vague questions, inadequate equipment, excessive scope, or a design that cannot produce meaningful quantitative evidence.

Choose a controllable system, write a precise question, prepare a risk and disposal plan, and pilot the proposed range before committing. RevisionDojo's Chemistry IA examples and Coursework Review can then help you check structure and rubric alignment, while Jojo AI can help you clarify concepts without replacing your own scientific decisions or writing.

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