Using Polymer Synthesis, Reactions and Properties as Examples of Concepts in Beginning Organic Chemistry

Abstract

Sophomores in a traditional organic chemistry course benefit in many ways from using polymer chemistry as an illustrative tool. While many organic chemists view polymer chemistry as a separate discipline, there are countless instances where polymer chemistry and organic chemistry overlap. Using polymer properties, synthe-sis, and reactions as part of an organic chemistry course does not require that one knows polymer chemistry in detail. In fact, what makes polymer chemistry examples useful is that they do not introduce new concepts. They just reinforce what students learn in the traditional functional group approach to teaching organic chemistry. By using real materials that students encounter on a daily basis as subjects for problems as lecture anecdotes, as demonstrations, or as explanative illustrations in an office discussion, the dry and sometimes arcane facts of organic chemistry become more meaningful. Incorporation of polymer chemistry is no different than incorporating green chemistry, environmental chemistry, or biological chemistry examples. Any of these examples enrich the course because students realize the relevance of what they are learning in organic chemistry to broader issues that include the many materials that are products of modern polymer chemistry.