What’s in That Medicine: An Inquiry-Based Activity to Introduce Medicinally Active Natural Products and Metals

Stephanie L. Mitchell, Jill S. McCourt, Diane J. Nesset-Tollefson, Gabrielle L. Kimball, Jasmine N. Mikesell, Emily J. Tollefson, Erin E. Carlson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Common over-the-counter medicines can be an exciting entry point for introducing students to the interesting chemistries that they encounter in their daily lives. In this inquiry-based activity, students are tasked with using a list of given supplies and information about four medications (Aspirin, Tums, Pepto-Bismol, and Tylenol) to design three experiments that will enable them to identify which mystery substance is which medication. This activity introduces students to several chemical concepts, including acid-base reactions, redox reactions, and chelation. Overall, comparing results of pre- and post-activity assessments, students learned about and became more confident in their knowledge of how natural products and metals can be used in medicine and were able to correctly identify their unknown medications. Additionally, a procedure-based activity for extracting bismuth from Pepto-Bismol is included.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)410-414
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Chemical Education
Volume100
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 10 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Keywords

  • acids/base
  • consumer chemistry
  • drugs/pharmaceuticals
  • high school/introductory chemistry
  • inquiry-based/discovery learning
  • metals
  • natural products
  • public understanding/outreach

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