Polymers are model materials that demonstrate the inter- and multidisciplinary nature of chemistry. As materials that are ubiquitous throughout the daily lives of nearly all people, they provide direct connections to practical and tangible examples for students of all levels to create concrete relationships with desired learning outcomes. However, while polymers have been gradually finding a larger role within our lecture courses, their incorporation into laboratory sections has been slower, likely owing to the sensitive reaction conditions of many classical polymerizations (moisture-free, inert atmospheres), which may be prohibitive in many institutes and student levels. Herein, several newly developed experiments are presented which have been integrated across our curriculum for first-year students to upperclassman. These experiments are also used to discuss concepts which are not typically taught in chemistry curricula, such as mechanical properties through crosslinking of silicones, interface chemistry via hydrophobization of glass slides, or organometallics utilizing metathesis polymerizations.

Integrating polymer laboratory experiments across the curriculum

2019 Spring National Meeting

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