Liberal Arts Chemistry courses are populated by students with a wide degree of skill, experience, and motivation. The challenge is to engage and excite students while helping them to see their chemistry experience as meaningful and important even if it is their last chemistry experience. Whether they are concerned about nutrition, weight, comforts of home, or just enjoying a meal, most college students are already engaged in thinking about food. Without trying to teach students how to be chefs, this course uses this natural interest in food to bring chemical concepts into focus. Topics covered range from chemical design and atomic structure to acids, energy, stoichiometry, colligative properties, and nutrition.This talk will explore resources available for lecture and laboratory culinary chemistry classes and describe demonstrations and hands-on activities than are used to capture students' interest and deepen understanding.  A side-by-side comparisson of content covered between beginning chemistry classes will be provided.  Student response and motivation will also be discussed.

Culinary chemistry: Teaching the concepts of chemistry to non-majors in a fun and practical context

246th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.