1.

7 Medicine
How has chemistry made contributions to medicine?

Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterized by the body’s inability to

use glucose (a component of table sugar).  Glucose is needed to provide
biochemical energy for all the cells of the body.  When the body cannot
make energy using glucose, it begins to break down fat and protein to
provide the needed energy, eventually leading to death.  Diabetes is the result of
the pancreas losing the ability to make insulin, a protein that helps glucose enter
the cells and be used for biochemical energy.  A key piece of the puzzle
surrounding our understanding of diabetes came when Frederick Sanger, a British
biochemist, carried out experiments that gave him the structure of
the insulin molecule.  Sanger used basic chemistry techniques and reactions and
took twelve years to complete his research.  Today, automated instruments based on
his approach can perform the same analysis in a matter of days.  Sanger was awarded
the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1958 for his insulin research.

Chemistry in Medicine

Major contributions to health care have been made by chemistry.  The development of

new drugs involves chemical analysis and synthesis of new compounds.  Many recent
television programs advertise the large number of new drugs produced by chemists.
The development of a new drug is long and complicated.  The chemistry of the
disease must be studied, as well how the drug affects the human body.  A drug may
work well in animals, but not in humans.  Out of a hundred drugs that look
like they help treat a disease, only a small handful actually turn out to
be both safe and effective.

Drug for treatment of disease.

 
https://youtu.be/MAoDuSxXIUQ
 
Chemistry contributes to the preparation and use of materials for
surgery (sutures, artificial skin, and sterile materials). The sutures used in many
surgeries today do not have to be removed, because they simply dissolve in the body
after a period of time.  Replacement blood vessels for heart and other types of
surgery are often made of chemicals that do not react with the tissues, so they
will not be rejected by the body.  Artificial skin can be used to replace human
skin for burn patients.

Surgical procedure.

Clinical laboratory testing uses a wide variety of chemical techniques

and instrumentation for analysis. Clinical laboratory testing allows
us to answer commonly asked questions such as "is your cholesterol too
high?" and "do you have diabetes?" Some of the laboratory tests use simple
techniques.  Other processes involve complex equipment and computer analysis of the
data in order to perform measurements on large numbers of patient samples.

Blood samples for laboratory testing.

Laboratory testing has come to the local drug store or grocery store

because of developments in chemistry.  You can test
your blood glucose using a simple portable device that runs a chemical test on the
blood sample and tells you how much glucose is present, allowing a diabetic patient
to regulate how much insulin to administer (chemistry is also used to produce the
insulin and the disposable syringe that administers the drug).
 Blood glucose testing device.

https://youtu.be/l1gg2I1rHw0
Science Friday: The Medical Wonders of Worm Spit
How useful is worm spit? It turns out that worm spit, also known as silk, is a very
useful material in medicine. In this video by Science Friday, Dr. David Kaplan
describes how silk is used in a variety of medical applications.
 
https://youtu.be/HyBcwLU9r1c
 

1.8 Agriculture
How does chemistry aid the success of crops?
In the spring, many people begin to plant their gardens.  They see
ads in catalogs or shop the gardening section of a local store to get
ideas.  The right place in the garden is selected, seeds or plants
are put in the soil, and then the wait.  Whether it is a small home
garden or a large thousand acre farm, chemistry contributes greatly to the success
of the crop.

Agriculture
Crops need three things for good growth: water, nutrients from the soil, and
protection from predators such as insects.  Chemistry has made major contributions
in all three areas.  Water purification uses a number of chemical and physical
techniques to remove salts and contaminants that would pollute the soil.  Chemical
analysis of soil allows the grower to see what nutrients are lacking so they can be
added.  In the spring, grocery stores, hardware stores, and gardening centers have
high stacks of bags containing fertilizers and weed killers that enrich the soil
and keep down unwanted plants.  These same stores also provide a number of sprays
or solid treatments for insects that might otherwise have a snack on the plants.
 
 https://youtu.be/C6Ay2SvfN_w
 
https://youtu.be/j8G0qGyHMzE
 

Idaho wheat field.

Water Purification 
Fresh water is essential for good crops.  In some areas of the world, there is
enough rain to accomplish this task.  In other locales, water must be provided so
the crops will grow.  Worldwide, irrigation covers about 18% of farm land and
produces some 40% of crops. A major source of cleaner water in many parts of the
world is provided by the process of desalinization.

Desalinization equipment.

Sea water is treated to remove salts and the resulting water can
then be used for irrigation without contaminating the soil with
materials that harm the growing plants.

Soil Nutrients
In many areas of the world, the soil is deficient in essential
nutrients.  A number of minerals such as phosphorus, potassium,
 calcium, and magnesium may not be present in large enough amounts to cause
good plant growth.  Nitrogen is extremely important for good crops.

Man spreading chemicals on soil.

Soil analysis is available from a variety of labs.  Local university extension

services can provide valuable information as to the composition of a soil and will
also make suggestions as to the types and amounts of needed nutrients.  Fertilizers
can be purchased and added to the soil to enrich it and ensure better yield of
crops.

Insect Control

Even if the crop grows well, there is still the possibility of insect or
pest damage.  The insect or pest can consume the crop or can damage it to
the point where it will not grow well.  Infestations of armyworms can do
major damage to corn and grain crops. Aphids and boll weevils are major
predators of cotton crops.  Failure to control these pests will result in
widespread crop damage and financial loss to the farmer.

Potato pests.
 
A wide variety of pesticides have been developed by chemists and other scientists
to deal with all these pests.  The basic approach is to have the pesticide
interfere with some biochemical process in the pest.  Ideally, the pesticide will
not affect other living organisms, but this is not always the case.  It is very
important to read the labels and observe all precautions when using pesticides.

https://youtu.be/b1SlOWeMkNQ

Summary
 Plant nutrients are very important for good plant growth.
 Chemical analysis of soil can tell he farmer or gardener what nutrients are
needed.
 Chemists have developed many pesticides that will kill plant predators such
as the army worm and the boll weevil.

1.9 Materials
How does chemistry affect the clothing that we wear?
Chemistry research is often full of surprises.  One such surprise
came to Stephanie Kwolek of the DuPont chemical company.  She was
working on a type of material known as polymers.  These chemicals
had been around for a while and were being used for new types of
textiles.  Kwolek was looking for a strong and rigid petroleum product.  She came
up with a material that did not look like your average polymer.  But she played a
hunch and had it made into threads.  This new material had stiffness about nine
times that of any of the known polymers of the time.  Further research
and development led to the production of Kevlar, a material now widely used in body
armor (see figure above).  In addition, Kevlar has found wide application in racing
sails, car tires, brakes, and fire-resistant clothing worn by firefighters.

Materials 
Electronics 
Chemists are involved in the design and production of new materials.  Some of the
materials that chemists have helped discover or develop in recent years include
polymers, ceramics, adhesives, coatings, and liquid crystals.  Liquid crystals are
used in electronic displays, as in watches and calculators.  The silicon-based
computer chip has revolutionized modern society and chemists have played a key role
in their design and continued improvement.  The calculator shown below uses both a
liquid crystal display and chips inside the device.

Calculator with liquid crystal display.

Superconductors
Many chemists are currently working in the field of superconductivity. 
Superconductors are materials that are able to conduct electricity with
100% efficiency, meaning that no energy is lost during the electrical transmission,
as happens with conventional conducting materials like copper cable.  The challenge
is to design materials that can act as superconductors at normal temperatures, as
opposed to only being able to superconduct at very low temperatures.
Clothing
The fibers that compose the materials for our clothes are either natural or human-
made. Silk and cotton would be examples of natural fibers. Silk is produced by the
silkworm and cotton is grown as a plant. Human-made fabrics include nylon, orlon,
and a number of other polymers. These materials are made from hydrocarbons found in
petroleum products. Synthetic polymers are also used in shoes, raingear, and
camping items. The synthetic fabrics tend to be lighter than the natural ones and
can be treated to make them more water-resistant and durable.
Materials originally developed as textiles are finding a wide variety of other
uses.  Nylon is found in a number of plastic utensils.  Taking advantages of its
strength and light weight, nylon is a component of ropes, fishing nets, tents, and
parachutes.

Nylon spatula.

https://youtu.be/EoyWY-
LlYTs

1.10 The Environment
What are the effects of waste within our environment?
Where to dump the garbage?  Where to put the waste materials we
don’t want, after we have made what we do want?  For many years we
just dumped the waste in the nearest lake, river, empty spot of
ground, and didn’t worry about it.  However, as we learn more
about the effects of chemicals on living systems, we have become more concerned
about the effects of all this dumping.  In many cases, we just didn’t know what the
long-term effects would be.  Today, dumping is generally illegal and offenders pay
heavy penalties of fines and jail sentences.

Environment
Many chemicals that were once commonly used were later found out to be harmful to
the environment, to human health, or both.  The element lead was once a common
additive to gasoline and to paint.  Plumbing pipes were once typically made of
lead.  Only since the 1970s has the danger of lead become apparent.  It causes
brain damage and small children (who often chewed on objects painted with lead-
based paint) are particularly susceptible.  The use of lead in gasoline, paint, and
plumbing pipes is now banned and new materials are being developed to replace the
hazardous lead components.
 
https://youtu.be/DWrmZggUBy8
 
Lead is still widely used in car batteries.  In recent years,
battery recycling is becoming very common - about 98% of
car batteries a recycled today.  The used batteries go to a processing plant where
they are crushed and placed in a tank.  The lead sinks to the bottom and can be
separated, melted and used again.  Plastic materials float to the top, are
separated, and melted.  The plastic can then be used in a number of applications. 
 The battery acids are treated with chemicals to neutralize them before they are
disposed of.

Batteries for recycling.

 

How Chemists Help the Environment

https://youtu.be/6Dr5jgFtlHc

Chemists are involved in all aspects of environmental

protection.  In the case of lead, chemists measured the amount of lead in soil,
paint, plumbing, blood, and other materials.  Chemists studied the chemical
processes in the body to see how lead did its damage.  Methods for removal of lead
from the body were developed with the help of chemists.  New gasoline products were
developed that gave good fuel efficiency and smooth running of the engine without
the presence of lead.
Chemists continue to look for threats to our health and the environment and to
search for alternatives so that harmful chemicals can be replaced with others that
will do the job as effectively, but without the harm.

Summary 
 Environmental contamination is a major problem today.
 Lead contamination has serious harmful effects on the body.
 Chemists contribute in many ways to helping with issues of lead
contamination.

1.11 Research
What can be accomplished through team work?
Most jobs to day involve a fair amount of meetings and team
involvement.  It doesn’t matter what you do, you will spend a
certain amount of time meeting with other people, sharing what you
have done, planning projects, and organizing the work.  Hardly
anybody works by him or herself these days – everybody is part of a
larger group.

The Nature of Science
Today’s scientists rarely work alone.  Rather, most scientists collaborate with one
another as part of a group effort, no matter the setting.  The majority of research
scientists work either for a company such as DuPont Chemical Company in Wilmington,
Delaware or for one of many universities, such as the California Institute of
Technology.  Working as part of a group has many advantages.  Most scientific
problems are so complex and time-consuming, that one person could not hope to
address all of the issues by himself or herself.  Instead, different members of a
research group are each tasked with a particular small aspect of a larger research
problem.  Collaboration between members of the group is frequent.  This occurs
informally in the laboratory on an everyday basis.  Research groups typically have
regular meetings where one or more members of the group may give a presentation to
the others on the status of the research that they are doing.  Progress normally
occurs in small steps rather than grand, sweeping discoveries, and that progress is
helped along by the teamwork that comes from working as part of a group.
Modern scientific research is usually expensive.  Lab equipment, chemicals,
research space, and the upkeep of technical instrumentation all costs money.  So
research groups need to raise money in order to continue their research.  Much of
that money comes from government sources, such as the National Science Foundation
or the National Institute of Health, especially in the case of research being done
at universities.  Private companies can fund their own research, but may also seek
outside funding as well.  Scientists write grants explaining the goals of their
research along with projected costs, and funding agencies make decisions on which
research projects they would like to fund.  The long-term viability of most
research labs depends on the ability to get and maintain funding.
 
https://youtu.be/SlmQp8EsLB4
 
Communicating Results
Suppose that your research is a success.  What now?  Scientists communicate their
results to one another and to the public at large in several ways.  One is to
publish their research findings in one of many publications called
scientific journals.  There are many hundreds of scientific journals covering every
field of science imaginable.  In chemistry, there is the “Journal of the American
Chemical Society,” the “Journal of Physical Chemistry,” and the “Inorganic
Chemistry,” to name just a few.  Some journals have a very narrow scope while
others publish articles from many different sciences and appeal to a wider
audience.  Examples of the latter include the journals “Science” and “Nature.”
Journal articles are often very complex and detailed.  They must be accurate, since
the research field as a whole uses these journal articles as a way to make
scientific progress.  Therefore, journal articles are only published after having
been extensively reviewed by other professional scientists in the same field. 
Reviewers have the power to make suggestions about the research or possibly
question the validity of the author’s conclusions.  Only when the reviewers are
satisfied that the research is correct, will the journal publish the article.  In
this way, all scientists can trust the research findings that they read about in
journals.
Scientists also communicate with one another by presenting their findings at
international conferences.  Some scientists are chosen to give a lecture at a
conference, typically about research that has already been published.  Many other
scientists at the same conference will present their work at poster sessions. 
These poster sessions are more informal and may often represent research that is
still in progress.

Scientific presentation.
 

https://youtu.be/cbKH35MqOJc
 
Science Friday: A Shot in the Dark: Alternative Uses for Squid Ink
Squid ink is commonly thought of as a defensive mechanism used by squids, but could
there be other uses? In this video by Science Friday, Dr.
Stephanie Bush talks about possible other functions of squid
ink.
 
https://youtu.be/_Q4H-BB7CXI
 
Science Friday: Snowflake Safari
Next snowstorm, grab a magnifying glass and look carefully at snowflakes. Bullet
rosettes, stellar plates and capped columns are just a few of the many varieties of
snow crystals. In this video by Science Friday, physicist Kenneth Libbrecht shares
secrets about snowflakes.
 
https://youtu.be/_MB0yhjIafc

NORTHWESTERN AGUSAN COLLEGES

Teaching Science in Elementary Grades (Biology & Chemistry)

 Activity 1.7
Medicine

Name: __________________________ Class day & time: _____________

1. What two things need to be studied to develop a new drug?

2. List two areas where chemistry has helped surgical patients

NORTHWESTERN AGUSAN COLLEGES

Teaching Science in Elementary Grades (Biology & Chemistry)

 Activity 1.8
Agriculture

Name: __________________________ Class day & time: _____________

1. Why do nutrients need to be added to the soil?

2. How do pesticides work?

NORTHWESTERN AGUSAN COLLEGES

Teaching Science in Elementary Grades (Biology & Chemistry)

Activity 1.9
 Materials

Name: __________________________ Class day & time: _____________

Who developed Kevlar? Construct an appreciation letter addressed to him/her.

NORTHWESTERN AGUSAN COLLEGES

Teaching Science in Elementary Grades (Biology & Chemistry)

Activity 1.10
 The Environment

Name: __________________________ Class day & time: _____________

1. list at least 10 products that contains lead.

2. What happens to the lead in used car batteries?

NORTHWESTERN AGUSAN COLLEGES

Teaching Science in Elementary Grades (Biology & Chemistry)

Activity 1.11
 Research
Name: __________________________ Class day & time: _____________

1. How is most scientific research carried out today? Explain briefly

2. How do scientists share their findings?