Green Chemistry
October 2 - December 4, 2000

What do paint, compact disks, dry cleaning and glue all have in common? They are all made with solvents. Green Chemistry is all about making these solvents and processes so they don't damage the environment.

Green Chemistry techniques help clean everything from clothing to Mt. Rushmore. Industries are retooling to use Green Chemistry for making everything from paints to plastics.

Learn about this exciting new field through experiments, visits to laboratories and discussions with active scientists. The ten-week program will begin with structured investigations, leading to the students developing their own research projects.

20 high school juniors and seniors came together every Monday night from 4 pm to 6 pm at The Science House on NC State's Centennial Campus to study this exciting topic during the Fall of 2000. Below is an outline of the activities with links to the lab activities.

Week 1

Dr. David Haase, Director of The Science House, introduces the topic of Green Chemistry. Students discuss the importance of studying Green Chemistry

Students explore ways of diluting and removing Copper Sulfate, a toxic compound, in water. A colorimeter was used to determine the concentration of the copper sulfate. To find out more read the Lab Handout (adapted from "Investigating Hazardous Materials" published by LabAids)

Week 2

We visit Micell Laboratories where a new drycleaning process using carbon dioxide is being perfected. We had our clothes drycleaned and looked at a new coating for clothes that repels water and oil.

Week 3

Dr. Joe DeSimone, a professor at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill and founder of Micell, speaks with the students on the uses for carbon dioxide in dry cleaning and paint.

We finished up our activities with copper sulfate by creating a precipitation reaction that removed the harmful copper from our solutions.

We investigated polymers and their properties with a gooey lab. For more information see the Lab Handout (adapted from "Plastics in Our LIves" published by LabAids)

Week 4

We visited the labs at the Kenan Center on Centennial Campus. Here they look at improving processes for manfacturing chemicals and chemical products such as coatings and plastics.

We started our projects! Each group chose a question to investigate and created their own experiments. Dr. Banks (to the left), a professor in the chemistry department, served as an advisor.

Week 10

The Final Presentations!

Before

After