Lecture Activity: Hydrophobic Effects and Forever Chemicals

This in-class worksheet serves as an assessment on a sustainability issue that is closely aligned to course content on hydrophobic effects. Perfluoroalkylated substances exhibit unique properties due to their molecular structures, contributing to the problem of their persistence in aqueous systems. General Chemistry students are able to use their knowledge of structure-property relationships and forces, energy, and interactions to explain why these molecules are soluble in water but are used in many non-stick applications.