Classroom Resources: Organic Chemistry


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  • Saturated vs. Unsaturated, Molecular Structure , Molecular Structure, Covalent Bonding, Lewis Structures, Interdisciplinary, Dimensional Analysis, Intermolecular Forces, Melting Point | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Lesson Plan: Dietary Fats

    In this lesson, students will learn about the chemistry of dietary fats in the food they eat. They will calculate the number of calories coming from fats, carbohydrates, and proteins based on a food label before completing a guided activity focused on investigating the chemical structures of different types of fats. Students will then engage in a literacy component where they will use an article about the biological role of various types of dietary fats and foods to answer a series of questions.

  • Molecular Structure , Functional Groups, Isomers | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Lesson Plan: Organic Chemistry Unit Plan

    The AACT high school classroom resource library has everything you need to put together a unit plan for your classroom: lessons, activities, labs, projects, and videos. We constructed a unit plan using AACT resources that is designed to provide your students with an introduction to organic chemistry through a short module.

  • Functional Groups, Molecular Structure , Polarity | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Activity: Introduction to Functional Groups

    In this activity, students will learn about the naming conventions for organic compounds and examine the functional groups of different molecules.

  • Separating Mixtures, Identifying an Unknown, Functional Groups, Molecular Structure | High School

    Lesson Plan: Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

    In this lesson, students will learn about the development of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and how it used today. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. Through these activities students will learn how to interpret a skeletal structure, as well as the names and structures of several organic functional groups. Additionally, they will examine and evaluate a mass spectrum. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • History, Observations, Identifying an Unknown, Molecular Structure , Functional Groups | High School

    Lesson Plan: Introduction to Flavor Chemistry

    In this lesson, students will read an article about flavor chemistry to learn about the science of tasting. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading and help students experience what they’ve read about. One part, the Job Interview, could be used as plans for a substitute teacher since the activity is self-guided.

  • Pharmaceuticals, Monomer, Polymers, Molecular Structure , Interdisciplinary, History | High School

    Lesson Plan: Carbohydrate Metabolism

    In this lesson, students will learn about how the metabolism of carbohydrates in the body were studied. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Pharmaceuticals, Molecular Structure | High School

    Lesson Plan: Percy Julian Overcame Racism to Flourish as a Chemist

    In this lesson, students will learn about synthesizing new chemicals through reading about Percy Julien’s experience. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Pharmaceuticals, Molecular Structure | High School

    Lesson Plan: The Vitamin B Complex

    In this lesson, students will learn about the discovery of vitamins, specifically the B vitamins, via a reading. Organic chemistry and solubility are all touched on in this lesson. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Measurements, SI Units, Dimensional Analysis, Scientific Notation, Molecular Structure , Elements, History, Interdisciplinary | High School

    Lesson Plan: The Discovery of Fullerenes

    In this lesson, students will learn about a class of compounds called fullerenes through a reading about their discovery. Metric conversions, organic chemistry, and allotropes are all touched on in this lesson. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Intermolecular Forces, Intramolecular Forces, Polymers, History, Interdisciplinary | High School

    Lesson Plan: Scotch Transparent Tape

    In this lesson, students will learn about how sticky tape was developed through reading an article. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Interdisciplinary, History, Polymers, Polymers, Condensation, Monomer, Monomer, Alloys | High School

    Lesson Plan: Synthetic Materials Through History

    In this lesson, students will learn about the history of synthesized materials through reading an article. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Electromagnetic Spectrum, Heat, Radiation, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, History, Interdisciplinary, Functional Groups, Molecular Structure | High School

    Lesson Plan: Mars Exploration with Infrared Spectrometers

    In this lesson, students will learn about how space scientists used infrared spectrometers to explore Mars through an article reading. Space exploration involves a lot of chemistry, which many students are surprised to learn. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Pharmaceuticals, Molecular Structure , History | High School

    Lesson Plan: Discovery of Ivermectin: Preventing Blindness and Heartworm

    In this lesson, students will learn about the drug ivermectin by reading about the chemistry behind its discovery and applications. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher since most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Molecular Structure , Covalent Bonding, History | High School

    Lesson Plan: Steroid Medicines: A Profile of Chemical Innovation

    In this lesson, students will learn about developing medicine through the lens of hydrocortisone while reading an article. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Ionic Bonding, Covalent Bonding, Naming Compounds, Molecular Structure, Molecular Structure , Functional Groups, Polyatomic Ions, History | High School

    Lesson Plan: The Development of Baking Powder

    In this lesson, students will learn about the chemistry behind baking powder through reading about its history and development over time. There are a series of activities to help promote literacy in the science classroom related to the reading. This lesson could be easily used as plans for a substitute teacher, as most of the activities are self-guided.

  • Molecular Structure , Polymers, Interdisciplinary, Chemical Properties | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Activity: Ingenious: Oversexed Moths Are Ruining Apples for Everyone Video Questions

    In this activity, students will answer questions while watching the video Oversexed Moths are Ruining Apples for Everyone from the Ingenious series produced by the American Chemical Society. Each episode investigates a different topic related to how leading-edge chemistry is taking on the world’s most urgent issues to advance everyone’s quality of life and secure our shared future. This episode investigates how the larvae of codling moths wreak havoc in orchards—burrowing into fruit and eating them from the inside out. Scientists are developing synthetic, species-specific pheromones as an alternative to pesticides. Pheromones are scented chemical messages that animals release at mating time and can help to prevent male codling moths from finding females to mate with. No mating means no eggs, no larvae and no more bad apples!

  • Molecular Structure , Polymers, Interdisciplinary, Chemical Properties

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Video: Ingenious Video 10: Oversexed Moths are Ruining Apples for Everyone

    Codling moths may look harmless, but their larvae wreak havoc in orchards, burrowing into fruit and eating them from the inside out. Pesticides have always been the solution to the old “worm in the apple” problem, but pesticides kill all the insects in the field, even the good ones. Instead of pesticides, farmers may soon use pheromones, those scented chemical messages animals release at mating time. Spreading synthetic, species-specific pheromones keeps male codling moths from finding females to mate with. No mating means no eggs, no larvae, and no more bad apples. Scaling up agricultural pheromones has proved difficult, but innovative approaches to pheromone production (using yeast cells) and distribution (with the help of customized weather stations) are starting to make it happen.

  • Interdisciplinary, Functional Groups, Molecular Structure | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Video: Ingenious Video 8: Is the Answer to Overfishing… Algae?

    Omega-3s are an essential nutrient that humans have to get from fish. But many of the world’s wild fish species are in crisis because we’ve taken too many of them from the ocean. So the answer is to farm more of our fish, right? While fish-farming relieves some pressure on the ocean’s wild species, it also contributes to that pressure, since farmed fish are fed fishmeal made from wild-caught fish. That’s because fish don’t make their own Omega-3s either. Like us, they get them from their diet. Using technology that came out of the space program, scientists have developed a way to cut out the middle-fish from the food chain and harvest Omega-3s for fishmeal directly from the source: algae.

  • Molecular Structure, Intermolecular Forces, Polarity, Polymers, Molecular Structure , Functional Groups, Polymers | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Video: Ingenious Video 6: Kill More Germs by Cleaning … Less?

    There’s clean, and then there’s CLEAN. Even if something looks clean, it might still be harboring microbes – many of them harmless, some of them definitely not. With most of the ways that we clean and disinfect — that is, kill germs — the clean doesn’t last as long as you might think. Disinfectants work by attacking bacterial membranes and viral protein coats, breaking them down so that those germs fall apart and die. But the germaphobes were always right: As soon as a disinfectant dries, and a surface is re-exposed, like if someone touches or (worse) sneezes on it, it needs be disinfected all over again. The next generation of cleaning products, however, add a trick: they lay down an incredibly thin polymer layer that keeps the germ-killing ingredients in place and effective for 24 hours at a time.

  • Molecular Structure, Intermolecular Forces, Polarity, Polymers, Molecular Structure , Functional Groups, Polymers | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Activity: Ingenious: Kill More Germs by Cleaning … Less? Video Questions

    In this activity, students will answer questions while watching the video, Kill More Germs by Cleaning… Less?, from the Ingenious series produced by the American Chemical Society. Each episode investigates a different topic related to how leading-edge chemistry is taking on the world’s most urgent issues to advance everyone’s quality of life and secure our shared future. This episode investigates the chemistry of cleaning. Unfortunately, clean doesn’t last as long as you might think—this video examines how disinfectants work and also how long they lasts. Scientists share about the next generation of cleaning products, that keeps the germ-killing ingredients in place and effective much longer.

  • Molecular Structure, Intermolecular Forces, Polarity, Molecular Structure , Combustion | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Activity: Ingenious: Making Shipping Greener with Hairy Ships Video Questions

    In this activity, students will answer questions while watching the video, Making Shipping Greener with Hairy Ships, from the Ingenious series produced by the American Chemical Society. Each episode investigates a different topic related to how leading-edge chemistry is taking on the world’s most urgent issues to advance everyone’s quality of life and secure our shared future. This episode investigates the “fouling” of boats (when aquatic animals like barnacles and tubeworms attach to hulls), and the impact it has on fuel efficiency. Since fouling is a significant contributor to the carbon footprint, this video highlights how scientists were inspired by unique aquatic plants to develop a stick-on silicone coating for ships that prevents animal hitchhikers from getting a foothold.

  • Molecular Structure, Intermolecular Forces, Polarity, Molecular Structure , Combustion | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Video: Ingenious Video 5: Making Shipping Greener with Hairy Ships

    The “fouling” of boats — when aquatic animals like barnacles and tubeworms attach to hulls — has been a nuisance for as long as we’ve been sailing the seas. Fouling messes up a vessel’s streamlined shape, decreasing its speed, maneuverability, and in modern times, its fuel-efficiency. Fouling spikes the carbon footprint of the shipping industry, already greater than that of most countries. For centuries, people used copper coatings to prevent fouling. Modern solutions use toxic chemical paints that pollute the water, kill marine life, and contribute to the degradation of our oceans when they wear off. A new approach is trying to work with nature instead of against it. Taking inspiration from the Salvinia plant, which is covered in tiny hair-like structures that make it basically waterproof, scientists are developing a stick-on silicone coating for ships that prevents animal hitchhikers from getting a foothold.

  • Polymers, Molecular Structure, Molecular Structure , Polymers, Solubility | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Activity: Ingenious: How Science Is Fixing Recycling's Grossest Problem Video Questions

    In this activity, students will answer questions while watching the video, How Science is Fixing Recycling’s Grossest Problem, from the Ingenious series produced by the American Chemical Society. Each episode investigates a different topic related to how leading-edge chemistry is taking on the world’s most urgent issues to advance everyone’s quality of life and secure our shared future. This episode investigates the stinky problems associated with polypropylene recycling. Current polypropylene recycling techniques are more down-cycling than re-cycling, but a new technique, called dissolution recycling, is changing all that.

  • Lab Safety, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Interdisciplinary, Heat, Temperature, Polymers, Polymers | High School

    Access is an AACT member benefit. Activity: Ingenious: This Sandwich Will Save Your Life in an Arc Flash Video Questions

    In this activity, students will answer questions while watching the video, This Sandwich will Save your life in an Arc Flash, from the Ingenious series produced by the American Chemical Society. Each episode investigates a different topic related to how leading-edge chemistry is taking on the world’s most urgent issues to advance everyone’s quality of life and secure our shared future. This episode investigates the composite fabrics that protect lives of many people, like industrial workers, firefighters, and soldiers. When these workers encounter a fiery situation, they rely on protective clothing, designed using multiple layers of chemistry, to keep them safe.

  • Polymers, Molecular Structure, Molecular Structure , Polymers, Solubility | High School

    Video: Ingenious Video 4: How Science Is Fixing Recycling's Grossest Problem

    Polypropylene recycling has a problem: It stinks. Food and other residues are almost impossible to remove entirely from polypropylene, a.k.a the number “5” plastic of grocery-store fame. Those residues – anything from yogurt to garlic, from fish oil to baby food – not only stick to polypropylene, they degrade there and start to smell even worse! Current polypropylene recycling techniques are more down-cycling than re-cycling. Unless you break down its molecules through a highly energy-intensive refining process, the material can only get a second life as a black trash can or an underground pipe – wherever its smell doesn’t matter. But a new technique, called dissolution recycling, is changing all that. Dissolution recycling uses a special hydrocarbon polymer solvent under finely controlled conditions of temperature and pressure to eliminate ALL of the contaminants embedded in the plastic.

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