I’ve been tutoring some local students in high school chemistry. They learn things like the difference between an element and a compound, how to calculate how many kilograms there are in a mole of sodium chloride, and exactly how much NaOH you would need to neutralize a certain amount and strength of HCl. Most of the students I see are not headed for careers in science, but they are headed for adulthood. They all have to take chemistry, and sometimes they learn to hate it. Is there a better way to introduce these students to chemistry that is relevant to their lives?

Take a look at the Next Generation Science Standards for High School Physical Sciences if you want your eyes to glaze over. This covers physics, physical science, and chemistry, and it’s one-size-fits-all. Most college-bound kids take three or four science courses, at least two of which are physical sciences, even if they have no interest in continuing their science educations past high school.

Every college-bound kid takes this class. Future chemical engineer, future doctor, future kindergarten teacher, future advertising executive.

But what if we designed a chemistry course for non-scientists? Chemistry is around us all day, every day. WhatChe chemistry topics do adult humans in the United States need to understand? I’m thinking of educated professionals — business leaders, elementary teachers, journalists, designers, public officials, artists, etc…

Chemistry for Normal Humans

We can formulate a new class based on the same two guiding questions posed by NGSS:

• “How can one explain the structure and properties of matter?”
• “How do substances combine or change (react) to make new substances? How does one characterize and explain these reactions and make predictions about them?”

Here’s what I’d like high school graduates to know.

Properties of Matter

• Chemical compounds have properties based on their composition and structure, and a change in chemical bonding can cause drastic changes in properties.
  • Example: Sodium (an element) is a soft metal that reacts violently with water. Not something you want in your home. Chlorine (another element) is a poisonous gas. Also not something you want in your home. Sodium Chloride (a compound composed only of those two elements) is the salt on your kitchen table.
  • Example: Hydrogen (a gaseous element) and Oxygen (a gaseous element) combine to form water (a liquid compound). Hydrogen peroxide is also a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, and its properties are different from water’s.
• Why the periodic table is shaped like that.
• Measure physical quantities: volume, mass, temperature, time. Use both metric and imperial units. Convert units using dimensional analysis.
• The chemical names for some common substances found in the home and in nature.
• The chemistry of water, ice, and steam, and why salt can affect phase changes of water.

Chemical Reactions

• The difference between a chemical reaction and a physical change.
• The basic acid-base chemistry found in cooking.
• Chemical reactions can absorb energy or release energy.
• The results of chemical reactions depend on the proportions of the reactants present.
• How to read food labels, and how chemicals are used in the food industry.
• The different meanings of the word organic.

 

In other words, Chemistry can be interesting, relevant, and even fun. There’s no reason to make every kid learn stoichiometry.