Extra Credit Chemistry stuff

[danaeris]

I want to give my students some fun extra credit assignments for the second quarter. The sort I have in mind is mini research projects on chemical stuff that impacts society, health or their personal lives.

The first one I came up with is sugar. They would be expected to find out what the physical structure of sugar is and then do research on a sugar substitute's structure. They would also be expected to find research on the negative effects of various sugar substitutes and summarize the pros and cons of each sugar substitute, citing those papers/studies.

Since many of my students, especially the girls, probably drink Diet Coke, I thought this would be useful for them.

Anyone have another chemically interesting project that young people should be educated about?

Comments

[isara.livejournal.com]

why just the negative effects of sugar substitutes? Sugar itself also has some pretty scary negative effects.

Trying to think of other chemicals and I'm totally blanking! Hair Spray? Acetone?

hmmm...

[happypete.livejournal.com]

I always thought that fun with water-soluble dyes, water, and oil were always fun...

and glitter...

[echan.livejournal.com]

In line with the fake sugar idea, another one might be fake fat. Olestra, I think the market name was. They can research the molecular similarities that make it taste the same, as well as the differences that made it unabsorbable (and also gave some people diarrhea).

[metallic-wings.livejournal.com]

Along with commonly known sugar substitutes like aspartame (Equal), saccharin (Sweet n' Low), and sucralose (Splenda) - some research on things like maltitol, lactitol, fructose, stevia, sorbitol, etc. might be good.

I second the comment suggesting looking into sugar itself.

Other suggestions:

-caffeine
-the contents of cigarettes, especially how/why "menthols" are the way they are
-health benefits of things like green tea
-pick a supplement (like taurine, tyrosine, etc.) and find out how it works/is supposed to work
-research a synthetic drug like LSD, "Ecstacy", etc. (this one might be particularly beneficial)

[vvvexation.livejournal.com]

In my MCB class we just debated the ethics of using (legal) drugs to enhance mental performance. That might be interesting.

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

Various sorts of lubricants. It'd include physics and chemistry. With just the right sort of subversive element that couldn't be proven.