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This paper presents a problem-based learning (PBL) framework designed to enhance sustainable chemistry education through a simulated student startup model. Implemented in the MSc Sustainable Chemistry programme at UCL, the activity uses polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a case study to explore circular economy principles and green chemistry strategies. Students adopt professional roles within ...

This case study discusses the history of birth control development, particularly progesterone synthesis. Students will learn about how progesterone was synthesized from stigmasterol, a component of soybean oil by Percy Lavon Julian and Carl Djerassi. They will also see how progesterone was made from yams via the Marker degradation. In the assignment, students will work in groups to compare and ...

A non-majors chemistry course with a sustainability focus was developed as part of an effort to embed sustainability throughout the curriculum at Widener University. Using the ACS textbook Chemistry in Context, we sought to reinforce the concept of chemistry as the “central science” in solving big issues relating to energy and the environment. What distinguishes this course from traditional ...

In this introductory lesson of the Properties of Adhesives: A Sticky Situation unit, students are introduced to biomimicry as a strategy scientists and engineers use to design new technologies. Through word analysis and an interactive matching game, students explore how animals and plants inspire human innovations, including safer adhesives, building designs, and medical materials. The lesson ...

In this hands-on laboratory lesson, students investigate the properties of adhesives by testing different types of tape using green chemistry decision-making criteria: performance, safety, and cost. Students measure the force required to remove tape using spring scales, analyze data across multiple trials, and compare results with environmental impact and material sourcing information. By ...

In this hands-on laboratory lesson, students create and compare two different glues made from household materials to explore how chemical reactions can produce new substances with distinct properties. Students evaluate each glue using green chemistry criteria—cost, safety, and performance—and investigate how starting materials, energy use, and waste generation influence sustainability. Through ...

In this culminating lesson, students synthesize their learning from the A Sticky Situation unit by creating and presenting an advertisement for their homemade glue developed in Lesson 3. Working collaboratively, students use informational texts to analyze real-world adhesive innovations and then communicate why their glue meets green chemistry criteria—cost, safety, and performance. Through ...

The article "Incorporating Glycochemistry into the Undergraduate Laboratory Curriculum: Isolation and Analysis of Soybean Glycoprotein β-Conglycinin" addresses the underrepresentation of glycoscience in undergraduate biochemistry labs by introducing a multiweek experimental series. Students isolate β-conglycinin from soy flour and analyze it using SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry. They also apply a ...

This article highlights a less hazardous and energy-efficient organic synthesis utilizing freshly squeezed citrus juice as a solvent that was developed for a sophomore-level laboratory course. The experiment enables students to engage with key green chemistry principles, including waste prevention, atom economy, the use of safer chemicals, and energy efficiency. In the experiment, 4 ...

This experiment looks at two types of chemical reactions that produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases. It explores both qualitative observations (no measurements or numbers involved) about the reactions, as well as quantitative measurements of the volume of gas produced to explore concepts of stoichiometry and the ideal gas law. These concepts will be used to relate the stoichiometry of gas ...

This two volume set of "Green Chemistry for Basic Education" analyzes the chemical greenness of classic experimental protocols used in Basic Education (volume I) and then proposes a set of high school level experiments that have greener perspectives and less risk to health and the environment.

Volume I presents green chemistry theory and principles and the Green Matrix used to evaluate classic ...

This article uses Green Chemistry principles to recast traditional Organic chemistry experiments into more guided inquiry-based experiments. It provides an overview of how traditional labs have been revamped to allow Green Chemistry principles to be taught through the labs. Lee, D. B. (2019). Recasting traditional organic experiments into green guided inquiry-based experiments: student perceptions ...

As substâncias químicas raramente são o resultado de uma única transformação; ao contrário, sua obtenção geralmente envolve diversas etapas de reações individuais. Tradicionalmente, essas etapas são realizadas de forma sequencial, incluindo o isolamento e a purificação dos intermediários. Entretanto, optar pela realização de reações em cascata pode trazer inúmeros benefícios, como: (i) ...

This lab discusses types of reactions and replaces traditional reaction experiments involving chemicals such as lead (II) nitrate, barium chloride, and silver nitrate. This lab challenges students to identify types of chemical reactions and distinguish between reactions that use safer, less hazardous chemicals from the more hazardous. Students will participate in the decision making by choosing ...

This ACS ChemMatters Teachers Guide uses the real-world case of the Flint, Michigan water crisis to explore how chemistry concepts—particularly corrosion, redox reactions, water treatment processes, and public health chemistry—apply to municipal water systems. Students investigate how changes in water chemistry led to lead contamination and analyze the chemical principles behind the crisis.
There ...

Plastic waste is a global challenge, with polystyrene (PS) among the least recycled polymers despite its widespread use in laboratories. Conventional recycling routes for PS remain economically and technically limited, creating an urgent need for accessible, sustainable alternatives. Here, we introduce RECOMPENSE, a student-led open science initiative designed to upcycle PS waste into polystyrene ...

The article discusses steps in recycling plastic bottles, focusing on polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The steps required to separate the PET bottles from other types of plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) using optical methods and density are described. The article further describes the chemical methods used to remove other contaminants including food residues and depolymerize the ...

We have an ongoing plastic problem. This is not news, but also not the end of the story.

Half of the plastics being produced are single-use plastics, meaning they are only intended to be used once. Compared to how long plastics take to break down, or degrade, there is a large time difference between the time the product is in use versus the time the product degrades.

Plastics are made up of ...

This case study is based on the 2022 Greener Synthetic Pathways - Green Chemistry Challenge Award (GCCA) which was won by Merck for the synthesis of the COVID-19 antiviral molnupiravir (LAGEVRIO TM). This GCCA is a good example of designing and comparing the efficacy of multi-step syntheses. The revised, biocatalytic synthesis of molnupiravir dramatically reduces the production of waste compared ...

There are many tools that a synthetic organic chemist can use to synthesize amines; one of which is reductive amination. This common method of introducing the amine functionality is especially crucial for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and biomolecules.

A typical reductive amination is a one-pot reaction involving a solvent, an aldehyde or ketone, an amine, and a weakened reducing agent. This ...

This review article provides an overview of dipolar aprotic and ethereal solvents and their use in synthetic organic chemistry, as well as recent legislative changes being imposed on their usage, and alternative, safer and more sustainable alternatives to consider as well as case study examples of where less desirable solvents have been successfully replaced with greener options.

This educational resource presents a hands-on outreach demonstration to explore the concepts of green polymer chemistry and sustainability. The lesson focuses on reprocessable polymer networks—a key innovation in sustainable material development—using common household ingredients such as vegetable oils, citric acid, and baking soda. Students learn about the environmental challenges posed by ...

This Learning Object introduces students to the rheological behavior of soybean oil with nano-additives (graphite, graphene, and nanocarbon) as a pathway to developing biodegradable lubricants. Using experimental data and mathematical modeling (power law and temperature-dependent viscosity equations), the study examines how nano-additives influence viscosity, thixotropy, and flow properties. This ...

Systems thinking is currently envisaged as a useful educational approach to teaching about sustainability (including green chemistry education) because of the high number of interrelated factors involved and the need of learners to acquire the ability to identify all of the factors and their relationships. After recalling the way in which key concepts are understood and utilized in this work, the ...

This article explores the role of biodiesel as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based fuels, highlighting its historical context, chemical principles, and practical applications. It discusses the contributions of Rudolph Diesel, who originally designed his engine to run on vegetable oil, and examines the modern shift toward biodiesel as an environmentally friendly solution to energy ...

This Learning Object introduces rxnSMILES4AtomEco, a computational tool for calculating atom economy (AE) using reaction SMILES. It includes Jupyter notebooks with examples (e.g., acetone synthesis) to enhance green chemistry education. Educators can use it to teach AE metrics and process design, fostering sustainability in curricula.

Article abstract: Green chemistry demands efficient ...

This resource is an introduction to green chemistry and is episode 1 of a 7 episode documentary series, Safer Stuff: Green Chemistry Gets Down to Business, which is an upbeat exploration of solutions to the problem of toxic chemicals in everyday products and the part green chemistry plays.

The inspiring story of green chemistry is told through interviews with the originators of the field (Paul ...

This Learning Object introduces students to Green Chemistry principles through a case study on recyclable flexible polyurethane foams (PUFs) using renewable soy-based polyols. Based on “Scalable manufacturing and reprocessing of vitrimerized flexible polyurethane foam (PUF) based on commercial soy polyols” the study demonstrates how commercial soy polyols can partially replace petrochemical ...

This lesson sets the stage for talking about both sharks and biomimicry by introducing fun shark facts through a grammar-correcting challenge, then by considering examples of technologies modeled after sharks’ dermal denticles. In the upcoming lessons, dermal denticles will be discussed as the inspiration for Sharklet film, a micro-texture that prevents the growth of bacteria without the use of ...

In this lesson, students are introduced to the patterns and shapes found in Sharklet film. Then students are asked to apply their understanding of geometry by drawing pictures of both the natural and man-made world, and labeling lines, angles and shapes.

In this lesson, students will begin to explore how Sharklet film works to prevent the growth of bacteria. They will be considering two major properties of the micro-texture: the shape of the pattern and the size of the pattern.

In this lesson, students will evaluate their puffy-paint Sharklet surface models they made in Lesson 3. Students will use sticky notes and binder clips to simulate the accumulation of bacteria on both the Sharklet surface and a flat surface. As students compare their three models, they will collect data to compare with the rest of the class in Lesson 5.

In this culminating lesson of The Secrets of Sharks’ Skin unit, students analyze and interpret class-generated data from Sharklet-inspired surface models to determine how surface structure affects bacterial attachment. Using tables and graphs, students compare results across different pattern sizes and shapes and conclude that spacing and surface area matter more than shape in preventing adhesion ...

The experiment "Separating Salts from Seawater" demonstrates the process of separating various salts from seawater. Students heat seawater to evaporate the water and precipitate solids. The procedure involves boiling seawater, allowing solids to settle, and using filtration and further evaporation to isolate different salts, primarily calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, and sodium chloride. This ...

This ACS resource is an accessible and safe organic chemistry lab experiment that teaches liquid-liquid and acid-base extraction. The experiment can be completed entirely at home. Students are tasked with separating an unknown mixture of food colorings. The separation can be accomplished using only water, vegetable oil, white vinegar, and baking soda.

Separation of Food Colorings via Liquid ...

This resource provides ideas and tips for teaching students about sustainable energy sources which connects to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7. The activities presented in this resource also connect the ideas of scientific discovery using energy production as a context to promote students' interests in sustainable energy.

This is a webinar from the Beyond Benign webinar archive about teaching green chemistry in higher education.

Andy Dicks, David Laviska & Nick Kingsley share tips & tricks for bringing Green Chemistry to their departments and beyond. This discussion covers approaches to transforming chemistry education as well as developing, expanding, and strengthening Green Chemistry connections within the ...

This is a free-to-read article published in the Journal of Chemical Education that provides an overview of how green chemistry curricular resources can help faculty discuss social, health, and environmental justice in their classrooms. Emphasis is placed on providing relevancy to students looking to learn how their chemistry knowledge can help them solve and/or prevent global justice crises.

The acid test has been used for centuries to determine whether metals are real gold or not. In this laboratory activity, students practice handling strong acids and testing alloys to determine whether they contain noble, coinage, and precious metals, such as gold, silver, and platinum. By exploring the gold in our jewelry and electronics, we can explore green chemistry principles and sustainable ...

This module explores nucleophilic substitution reactions and how solvent selection correlates to reaction mechanisms for SN1 and SN2 reactions (i.e., reaction product, selectivity, and stereochemistry). Solvents are discussed with respect to environmental, health, safety, and life-cycle considerations. This module can be used when nucleophilic substitution reactions are introduced and is designed ...

Chalcones represent a group of compounds with interesting biological activities that are formed from an aldol condensation between a benzaldehyde and an acetophenone in the presence of NaOH as a catalyst. Although typically synthesized using organic solvents, in this exercise students prepare 20 different chalcones using a solventless procedure. The scale of these reactions can be easily modified ...

Carbon-carbon bond formation is arguably one of the most crucial transformations in organic chemistry. In this experiment, students will simultaneously transform carbonyl groups into olefins via the Wittig Reaction while learning principles of green chemistry. While the Wittig is not normally known for its "greenness" (due to its poor atom economy), this lab seeks to bolster the reaction's green ...

This series of exercises enforces green chemistry concepts while also introducing students to the balancing of equations and stoichiometry. The concept of conservation will likely already be familiar to most students, but these drills give students a chance to analyze different synthetic pathways and decide which path is the most green. The three target compounds given in this article are aluminum ...

This review chapter "Soy-Based Chemicals and Materials: Growing the value chain" documents the use of soy as a biomaterial and green alternative to traditional feedstocks. Within this article, current industrial uses of soybeans are discussed including solvents, oleochemicals and surfactants, paints, coatings, inks, plastics, plasticizers and others are highlighted. Then, four of the Presidential ...

Overview: This comprehensive review explores how carbohydrate-rich byproducts from soybean processing—such as soybean hulls, meal, molasses, and okara—can be repurposed as fermentation feedstocks to produce biofuels, enzymes, and specialty chemicals. The paper emphasizes the potential of these underutilized materials in building a sustainable, soy-based biorefinery platform.

Citation: Brentin, R ...

This lab series challenges students to make and analyze biodiesel using soybean oil as a renewable fuel. It aligns with the NGSS Energy standards for K-12 classrooms. The lesson encourages students to tackle global issues with evidence and scientific reasoning. This lab enhances discussions on energy by exploring biodiesel as an alternative to petroleum-based diesel.

Full citation: Rosa, P. D. L ...

This module has been designed to introduce second-year organic chemistry students to the concepts of stereochemistry through the lens of the World Health Organization’s Model List of Essential Medicines. PowerPoint slide decks, homework assignments, instructor notes, activities, and a summative assessment are included in this module. Students should be able to represent and classify stereoisomeric ...

This lesson introduces the concept of green chemistry by replacing a conventional aluminum to alum stoichiometry lab with a more sustainable precipitation reaction using sodium carbonate and calcium chloride. Green chemistry is an approach that aims to design chemical processes and products that minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances, while also reducing waste and improving ...