A self-instructive, interactive programme in basic inorganic chemistry for use on a web-browser platform have been developed. It is designed from a constructivistic point of view and formulated within the frame of classical qualitative and quantitative analysis of simple soluble salts containing common p-block anions (of B, C, N, P, O, S, halogens) and cations from group1 and/or ammonium. It is actually closely related to a 20 hours laboratory exercise, the aim of which is

1. to increase the students' acquaintance with simple semi-micro techniques to follow simple reactions and the principles of classical quantitative, mostly volumetric, procedures
2. to increase the students' experience of the physical and chemical properties of common inorganic compounds.

The procedures in this electronic simulation also follow the laboratory manual, which should be at hand when working with the simulation. The students are thus offered three different, but closely related learning resources: the laboratory exercise, the computer simulation of it, and closely related written problems to be solved by the paper-and-pencil method.

Students' work with the programme was preliminarily studied using questionnaires, observation and interviews. They appreciate to work with the simulation because they understand its purpose and acknowledge its relation to other parts of the teaching set up. Furthermore, it was found that the programme (in agreement with intention) actually initiates a dialogue among the students (working together in pairs), thus creating premises for a better understanding of chemical concepts, principles and methods.