The Chemistry of Aspirin By Robert McClard

Topic: Chemistry and internet use. Type of web activity: Using data from the web Materials / Software needed: Web access Grade Level: 9-12 Time involved: 1 or more hours, depending. Created on: August 6, 1997 Updated: November 2003 The Web Science Workshop lessons were created in cooperation with the Exploratorium Teacher Institute.   This site developed and maintained by Deborah Hunt and Eric Muller 3601 Lyon St. San Francisco, CA 94123 ©The Exploratorium

Your assignment is to establish the importance of chemistry in our lives through a study of a common medicine --- aspirin). What to do: Students will look at each site and discover two facts about aspirin that they will share with their classmates in brief presentations. The following questions could be a guide for student searches. What is the chemical formula for aspirin? In the picture below what color represents carbon, hydrogen and oxygen? Can you find all of each type of molecule in the picture below? Who discovered aspirin? Who makes money on it? What are some new uses for aspirin? Why is aspirin so popular? A. Internet research: a. The chemistry of aspirin b. 3-D ball-and-stick model of aspirin molecule c. History of aspirin d. Synthesis and chemistry of aspirin e. The European Aspirin Foundation f. General aspirin site g. Biography of aspirin's inventor B. Links to websites of major chemical producers C. Federal agencies involved with chemical issues I. CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry II. Consumer Product Safety Commission III. Food and Drug Administration IV. Environmental Protection Agency V. Occupational Safety and Health Administration VI. Department of Agriculture D. Materials safety I. General chemical safety information from Oxford University II. A collection of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) E. The methods of science I. A class activity illustrating scientific methods II. An iconoclastic essay: "On Scientific Method" III. Essay: "Think Like a Scientist" IV. A comparison of the Socratic and scientific methods V. Some thoughts on teaching scientific methods VI. Some consumer topics that could be used to illustrate scientific methods VII. An exploration of "The Scientific Method"   Back to top