7th Grade
Synthetic Product Resources
Plastic Bags
- Stopwaste.org, From Oil to Plastic
- The Atlantic, What is Crude Oil, Exactly?
- How Stuff Works, Plastics
- How Stuff Works, Which is more environmentally friendly: paper or plastic?
- Canadian Plastics Industry Association, All About Bags, Paper vs. Plastic Bags
- Ecomyths Busted, Myth: Paper Bags Are Greener Than Plastic
Plastic Bottles
- American Chemistry Council, The Basics: Polymer Definition and Properties
- Thomasnet.com, Plastic Bottle Manufacturing
- Explain That Stuff!, Glass
- Environmental Impact, Environmental Impact of Glass Production
- The Vermont Juice Co., Glass vs. Plastic
- Packaging of the World, Plastic vs. Glass - Why plastic containers are better
- Washington Post, Why glass jars aren't necessarily better for the environment than plastic jars
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Eat Right, Glass Versus Plastic Containers
- Oregon Public Broadcasting, Which Is Greener? It's Not What You'd Expect
Disposable Diapers
- Stanford Alumni, Don't Pooh- Pooh My Diaper Choice
- National Geographic, How Disposable Diapers are Made
- Appropedia, Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers
- Healthline, The Diaper Wars: Cloth vs. Disposable
- Hydrogel Information - Absorbing Polymer
- Sodium Polyacrylate Prezi
Polyester
- Quatr.us, What is Polyester?
- Plastic bottles into Polyester
- Sewing Parts Online, Cotton vs. Polyester
- How Stuff Compares, Cotton vs. Polyester
- Chemistry Explained, Fibers
- 4 Eco-friendly Alternatives
- Renewable Alternative?
Nylon
- ChemMatters, Nylon
- FiberSource, A Short History of Manufactured Fibers
- Explain That Stuff, Nylon
- How it's Made - Nylon and Rayon
- Science360, Fabricating Fabric: Profile of Nylon
- Chemistry Explained, Fibers
- How Stuff Works, Why is Cotton More Absorbent than Nylon?
- Smithsonian, How 75 Years Ago, Nylon Stockings Changed the World
- 4 Eco-friendly Alternatives
- Renewable Alternative?
Rayon
- How it's Made - Nylon and Rayon
- How Products are Made, Rayon
- Fibersource - Rayon
- Chemistry Explained, Fibers
- 4 Eco-friendly Alternatives
- Renewable Alternative?
Artificial Sweetener
- ChemMatters, The Skinny on Sweeteners: How Do They Work?
- ChemMatters, Artificial Sweeteners
- Scientific American, Sugar vs. Artificial Sweeteners
- CNN, Real or Fake Sugar: Does it Matter?
- Discovery Communications, Seeker, Artificial Sweetener Leaves Environmental Aftertaste
- American Chemical Society, Environmental Science and Technology, Artificial Sweetener Persists in the Environment
- World Wildlife Fund, Sustainable Agriculture - Sugarcane
- Discover, The Chemistry of Artificial Sweeteners
Synthetic Rubber
- American Chemical Society, National Historic Chemical Landmarks, U.S. Synthetic Rubber Program
- Explain that Stuff, Rubber
- Akron Global Polymer Academy, A Brief History of Rubber
- Discovery Communications, How It's Made - Natural Rubber
- Discovery Communications, How It's Made - Synthetic Rubber
Synthetic Fuel
- ChemMatters, Do You Want Biodiesel with That?
- ChemMatters, Green Gasoline: Fuel from Plants
- How Stuff Works, What is a Synfuel?
- How Stuff Works, Top 8 Synthetic Fuels
- Princeton University, Synthetic Fuels Could Eliminate U.S. Need for Crude Oil
Taxol (Cancer drug)
- Taxol Overview
- National Cancer Institute, Natural Compound Helps treat Breast and Ovarian Cancer
- National Cancer Institute, Success Story - Taxol
- American Chemical Society, National Historic Chemical Landmark - Discovery of Camptothecin and Taxol
- American Chemical Society, Chemical and Engineering News - Taxol
PVC
- PVC - 1954 How it's Made
- Bitesize - PVC
- PVC- History
- Thoughtco - Disadvantages of PVC
- Greenpeace - Alternatives to PVC
- Tufts University - Alternatives to PVC: An Economic Analysis
Synthetic Vanillin (vanilla flavoring)
Citric Acid
- An Overview
- How to make Citric Acid
- Citric Acid used as Pesticide and the effects
- Alternatives to Citric Acid
Spandex (leggings)
- How It's Made
- Physical and Chemical Properties
- Spandex - Wiki
- Elastane (Spandex fibers)
- 4 Eco-friendly Alternatives
- Renewable Alternative?
Physostigmine (Glaucoma drug)
- ChemMatters, Percy Julian: Rising above Racism
- Chemical Heritage Foundation, Science Alive, Physostigmine and Glaucoma
- Chemical Heritage Foundation, Science Alive, Synthetic vs. Natural: What's the Difference?
- American Chemical Society, National Historic Chemical Landmark, Percy L. Julian and the Synthesis of Physostigmine
- Chemical Heritage Foundation, Science Alive, What is Synthesis?
Chloroquine (Malaria drug)
Cortisone (Arthritis drug)
- Encyclopedia.com, Percy Lavon Julian
- PBS, NOVA, Percy Julian : Forgotten Genius - Making Cortisone from Plants
Aspirin
- ChemMatters, Aspirin
- About.com, Inventors, History of Aspirin
- Chemical Heritage Foundation, Aspirin: Turn of the Century Miracle Drug
- The Conversation, Natural Medicine is Great but Chemists Can Make it Even Better
Chewing Gum
Energy & Matter in Ecosystems
Tips for the wave height data table
- You will need to rotate the globe using the hand tool to continue to be able to see the leading edge of the wave.
- You will need to estimate the wave height based on the color scale.
- The crest of the leading wave is positive in height and colored yellow-orange-red. The trough between the waves is negative, because the trough of the waves is lower than the average sea level.
- Note that the wave height will not change dramatically over time, but it does change! Watch carefully!
- Your estimate will be based on the color scale bar, which does not have a lot of differentiation. Do your best to estimate the wave height.
- Notice how the tsunami moves in the open ocean compared to how it moves near islands and continents.
