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Understanding Organic Chemistry

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Published: Feb 12, 2019

Words: 1246 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

Organic Chemistry

Works cited.

  • Wade, L. G. (2017). Organic Chemistry. Pearson.
  • Klein, D. R. (2017). Organic Chemistry: Principles and Mechanisms. Wiley.
  • McMurry, J. (2015). Organic Chemistry. Cengage Learning.
  • Bruice, P. Y. (2016). Organic Chemistry. Pearson.
  • Smith, J. G. (2019). Organic Chemistry: Structure and Function. McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Solomons, T. W. G., & Fryhle, C. B. (2017). Organic Chemistry. Wiley.
  • Carey, F. A., & Giuliano, R. M. (2017). Organic Chemistry. McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Jones, M., & Fleming, I. (2018). Organic Chemistry. W. W. Norton & Company.
  • Clayden, J., Greeves, N., Warren, S., & Wothers, P. (2012). Organic Chemistry. Oxford University Press.
  • Vollhardt, K. P. C., & Schore, N. E. (2018). Organic Chemistry: Structure and Function. W. H. Freeman.

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Organic Chemistry – Contributions and in Life Essay (Critical Writing)

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Organic Chemistry

Contributions of organic chemistry to pharmaceutical research, organic chemistry in life.

Chemistry is a science subject that is connected with reactions, which bring reactants and products into equilibrium. Reactions take place in everyday life situations and even in our bodies. For instance, the metabolic reactions that take place within our bodies need to be at equilibrium in order to bring about physical, biological, and chemical fitness. In school, chemistry plays a significant in the prediction and calculation of daily occurrences. For instance, knowledge gathered on the effects and results of reactions helps identify the occurrence of reaction, problems, and application of amicable measures in solving these problems (Hornback 103).

Despite many challenges imposed on the balancing of equations of pertaining reactions, in school my interest was drawn into the study of organic chemistry, which entailed a study of organic carbon compounds. I needed to know about the structure and composition of organic compounds generated by living organisms. Often, the teacher of chemistry linked organic compounds to everything that existed including food and the products we used. This enhanced my desire to expand my knowledge in organic chemistry and enhanced my chances of joining the field of pharmaceuticals that aimed at improving medicine.

I knew very well that organic chemistry was the backbone of pharmaceutical research. Being a research chemist, I had to incorporate much of my time and interest in solving reactions that involved equation balancing. In my field, the molecular structures of compounds meant a lot. For example, in the production of drugs, the right amount of reagents were reacted at the right conditions in order to produce right drugs for human consumption (Kar 7). In addition, the molecular structures of compounds helped in the identification, determination, and distinction of new drugs from old drugs to avoid poisoning of patients.

In pharmaceutical research, understanding molecular structures enhance the production of drugs from carbon compounds found in nature to help to control life-threatening diseases, such as cancer and diabetes (Kar 18). An acquaintance of enough knowledge in organic chemistry also enables me, as an organic chemist, together with my career partners to produce new carbon-based particles, which were more improved by nature.

Organic Chemistry also plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of an individual. This is because it provides a diversity of ways in which chemical reactions take place within the body of an individual, for example, aiding in the selection of the right foods and exercises. Hence, to maintain my body, I implore better feeding habits with the help of taking a lot of fruits and vegetables that are full of vitamin C and E as advocated by organic chemistry.

Good understanding of the organic reactions within human bodies also grants pharmacists amicable time in handling patients. This is because it aids me in making right drug prescriptions to the patients. In addition, organic reactions enable me, as a pharmacist, to explain the causes of metabolic reactions that take place within the bodies of the patients that they handle.

In conclusion, despite the association of Organic Chemistry reaction’s equations to the negligence of chemistry as a subject by many college students, its roles in the planet earth are diverse. For instance, apart from giving explanations on the composition of everything that exists on earth, it also provides guidelines on the appropriate compounds to be ingested for the good of one’s health. Therefore, it is crucial for many students to give chemistry a consideration while making a choice regarding their careers.

Hornback Joseph. Organic Chemistry . New York: Cengage Learning, 2005. Print.

Kar Ashutosh. Medicinal Chemistry . New Delhi: New Age International, 2007. Print.

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Examples of Organic Chemistry in Everyday Life

All are chemical reactions in products derived from living organisms

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Organic chemistry is the study of carbon compounds, which extends to understanding chemical reactions in living organisms and products derived from them. There are numerous examples of organic chemistry in everyday life .

They're All Around Us

Here are examples of organic chemistry at work:

  • Polymers consist of long chains and branches of molecules. Common polymers you encounter every day are organic molecules. Examples include nylon, acrylic, PVC, polycarbonate, cellulose, and polyethylene.
  • Petrochemicals are chemicals derived from crude oil or petroleum. Fractional distillation separates the raw material into organic compounds according to their different boiling points. Examples include gasoline, plastics, detergents, dyes, food additives, natural gas, and medicines.
  • Although both are used for cleaning, soap and detergent are two different examples of organic chemistry. Soap is made by the saponification reaction , which reacts to hydroxide with an organic molecule (e.g., an animal fat) to produce glycerol and crude soap. While soap is an emulsifier, detergents tackle oily, greasy (organic) soiling mainly because they are surfactants, which lower the surface tension of the water and increase the solubility of organic compounds.
  • Whether a perfume fragrance comes from a flower or a lab, the molecules you smell and enjoy are an example of organic chemistry.
  • The cosmetics industry is a lucrative sector of organic chemistry. Chemists examine changes in the skin in response to metabolic and environmental factors, formulate products to address skin problems and enhance beauty, and analyze how cosmetics interact with the skin and other products.

Products With Common Organic Chemicals

These common products make use of organic chemistry:

  • Food and food additives
  • Insect repellent
  • Synthetic fabrics (nylon, polyester, rayon)
  • Mothballs (naphthalene)
  • Nail polish remover
  • Natural gas
  • Fertilizers

Most products you use involve organic chemistry. Your computer, furniture, home, vehicle, food, and body contain organic compounds. Every living thing you encounter is organic. Inorganic items, such as rocks, air, metals, and water, often contain organic matter, too.

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Teach the Mechanism

Essays in Organic Chemistry

The year is 2020. I have spent the majority of the year at home with my two kids managing Zoom meetings and PPE-clad trips to the ( wastelands to scavenge for toilet paper ) grocery store. An idea forms: what if I gave my organic chemistry students essay assignments?

While writing in the sciences is nothing unusual, it is generally centered only around lab work and research. In a simple sense, I have three main educational goals for my organic students. The first two are for them to have a solid understanding of fundamental concepts and to be able to demonstrate skill in writing mechanisms. The third is that I want them to relate their chemistry knowledge to their daily lives. In my career teaching organic chemistry, this third goal is the one that tends to fall by the wayside for me, which is what I have sought to address by assigning  writing assignments. 

Joel Karty’s textbook does a great job helping students make those real-world ties with the small Connections break-out boxes and the larger, more complex Special Interest boxes. I have always assigned these sections as part of the chapter reading and will often use them as examples in class. I also do a weekly student-generated question session where I answer and discuss students’ questions like, “Why does mint make your mouth feel cold?” I’ve found that this helps bring up more real-world examples during lecture. What I eventually realized, however, was that none of these important parts of my course held any stakes for my students. They could casually enjoy the information, but they weren’t actively researching information, nor were they required to answer exam questions relating to this material. These new writing assignments became my way to accomplish my third goal and to get my students more actively involved in thinking about and making connections between chemistry and the greater world around us. 

In terms of what a typical essay assignment looks like, I use Karty’s Special Interest boxes from the chapter to frame the questions and to get students started on the essays. Chapter 25 has a section discussing free radicals in the human body and Vitamin E. I ask students to read the Special Interest box and write a short (around 1 page) essay explaining the difference between antioxidants and added food preservatives. Ideally, the students should recognize that there is a difference between the two and that some preservatives are radical antioxidants used to prevent oxidative spoilage, while some are used to prevent bacterial growth, for example. Students use the textbook as a starting point and think about how these chemistry principles work in the often misunderstood world of food additives.  

Another example of an essay assignment comes from the small Connections box in Chapter 12.  The book mentions heptan-2-one as an odor molecule in cheese. The essay prompt that I worked up for this section is: write about ketone molecules in cheese, explaining how they are generated (by bacterial enzymes) and what precursor organic molecules they come from (triglycerides).

This semester, I am teaching all online and assigning essays every other week (alternating with regular quizzes). I give the essays the same grading weight as quizzes (10 points each) and emphasize the overall goals of these assignments both in class and in my syllabus. Keeping the writing assignments to one page (typed and single-spaced)  makes them less onerous for my students to complete and cuts down on grading time for me. 

In having to redesign my organic chemistry course for online learning, I was finally able to come up with a way to address a major missing piece of my course learning outcomes, with the added bonus of reinforcing students’ need to read their textbooks. While I am still doing the majority of my work competing for a Wi-Fi signal in my (survival bunker ) bedroom instead of my office, I call these essays a major win for 2021. 

Do you use writing assignments in your organic chemistry classes? I’d love to hear about what other faculty are doing. Please feel free to drop a comment below! 

-Andrew Robak, Keuka College

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2 thoughts on “ Essays in Organic Chemistry ”

Andrew, what a fantastic way to wrap together writing, student interests, and engagement with the textbook…all in one assignment! It’s particularly wonderful to hear how you’re actively making use of the CONNECTIONS boxes in the book. As you pointed out, those are far different from the Special Interest boxes, which go into depth tying a particular concept or reaction from the chapter to something that’s rather profound. The CONNNECTIONS boxes instead are really short and simple, and are scattered throughout each chapter to do two things. One is to help students answer the question: “How does this stuff relate to me and my life?” And as a student will see at least half a dozen times per chapter, the answer is…a lot! The second thing those CONNECTIONS boxes are intended to do is pique student interest, making them wonder “why” and “how”…? And the idea is to set students down the path of doing some digging, starting with something simple like a Google search. But you’ve really taken it to the next level with these assignments you’ve designed! Kudos to you!!

Thanks Joel, so far the students have taken to it really well. I assigned one for the first week to set the expectations and the only problem I’ve run into was clarifying that they need to write it like an essay and not like a short answer test question. They are fun to read!

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Organic Chemistry Essays

Organic chemistry: hybridization, popular essay topics.

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What is organic chemistry?

Organic chemistry is the study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-containing compounds. Most organic compounds contain carbon and hydrogen, but they may also include any number of other elements (e.g., nitrogen, oxygen, halogens, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur).

Originally limited to the study of compounds produced by living organisms, organic chemistry has been broadened to include human-made substances (e.g., plastics).

What do organic chemists do?

Organic chemistry is a highly creative science that allows chemists to create and explore molecules and compounds. Organic chemists spend much of their time developing new compounds and finding better ways of synthesizing existing ones.

Where is organic chemistry used?

Organic compounds are all around us. Many modern materials are at least partially composed of organic compounds. They’re central to economic growth, and are foundational to the fields of biochemistry, biotechnology, and medicine. Examples of where you can find organic compounds include agrichemicals, coatings, cosmetics, detergent, dyestuff, food, fuel, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and rubber.

Which industries hire organic chemists?

  • Biotechnology

Virtually all biotechnology (“biotech”) products are the result of organic chemistry. Biotech involves using living organisms and bioprocesses to create or modify products for a specific use. For example, a biotech company might produce seeds for crops that are disease-resistant, or plants that are drought-resistant.

Common employment areas in biotechnology include:

  • Health care
  • Crop production and agriculture
  • Nonfood uses of crops
  • Consumer products (e.g., biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil)
  • Environmental sector

Consumer Products

Most consumer products we use involve organic chemistry. Take the cosmetics industry as an example. Organic chemistry examines how the skin responds to metabolic and environmental factors, and chemists formulate products accordingly.

Other examples of everyday products that involve organic chemistry include soaps, plastic goods, perfume, coal, and food additives.

Organic Industrial Chemistry

Crucial to modern world economies, organic industrial chemistry focuses on converting raw materials (e.g., oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into consumer and industrial products.

Today, organic industrial chemistry is based mainly on petroleum and natural gas. Because these are finite raw materials, a lot of industry focus is on learning how to convert renewable resources (e.g., plants) into industrial organic chemicals.

Major organic industrial chemistry sectors include:

  • Rubber and plastic products
  • Textiles and apparel
  • Petroleum refining
  • Pulp and paper
  • Primary metals

The largest-volume petroleum products are fuel oil and gasoline. Petroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products (e.g., pharmaceuticals, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics).

The petroleum industry is usually divided into three major components:

  • Upstream – Exploration and production
  • Midstream – Transportation
  • Downstream – Refining crude oil, processing and purifying natural gas, creating petrochemicals

Pharmaceutical

The pharmaceutical industry develops, produces, and markets drugs used as medications for humans or animals. Some pharmaceutical companies deal in brand-name (i.e., has a trade name and can be produced and sold only by the company holding the patent) and/or generic (i.e., chemically equivalent, lower-cost version of a brand-name drug) medications and medical devices (agents that act on diseases without chemical interaction with the body).

Pharmaceuticals (brand name and generic) and medical devices are subject to many country-specific laws and regulations regarding patenting, testing, safety assurance, efficacy, monitoring, and marketing.

Federal offices (e.g., Food and Drug Administration, Patent and Trademark Office) as well as state and local governments hire organic chemists in the fields of specialization noted above.

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An Essay Assignment for Organic Chemistry Courses

  • In the Classroom
  • Published: June 1997
  • Volume 2 , pages 1–10, ( 1997 )

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organic chemistry essay

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An essay assignment suitable for large introductory organic chemistry courses is described. Students were asked to write four-to five-page essays about any organic compound of their choosing that was in the news recently, was used widely, or had some social significance. The assignment was designed to stimulate student interest in the role of organic chemistry in their lives, to help them make connections between classroom information and the “real world”, to have them practice their writing skills, to teach them to use the library and other sources of scientific information, and to help them improve their grades by evaluating them with an instrument other than an exam. Techniques used by the instructor to manage the burden of grading a large number of essays are described.

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GROSSMAN, R.B. An Essay Assignment for Organic Chemistry Courses. Chem. Educator 2 , 1–10 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00897970117a

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Issue Date : June 1997

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321 Interesting Chemistry Topics & Writing Tips

Chemistry studies matter and what it’s made of. It tells us how substances change and what properties they have. Chemistry seeks to answer questions such as: What is the Universe made of? How do elements react with each other?

Read our article to dive deeper into this intricate subject. What is more, we’ve prepared a list of 300 exciting chemistry-related topics. You can choose between organic, nuclear chemistry, biochemistry, and other branches. Our interesting topics in chemistry will make your studies more enjoyable!

Don’t forget that writing is our element. Is your assignment’s deadline closing in? Our custom writing service will take the pressure off you!

🔝 Top 10 Interesting Chemistry Topics

  • ✅ Branches of Chemistry
  • ✍️ Writing Tips

⭐ Top 10 Chemistry Essay Topics

  • 🔬 General Chemistry Topics
  • 🧑🥼 Chemistry Project Topics
  • 🤔 Advanced Chemistry
  • 🦠 Biochemistry
  • 🧬 Organic Chemistry
  • ♻️ Green Chemistry
  • ⚗️ Inorganic Chemistry
  • ⚛️ Nuclear Chemistry
  • 🧮 Analytical Chemistry
  • 🧪 Physical Chemistry

🔍 References

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✅ Main Branches of Chemistry

Chemistry is a broad subject that uses various methods of study. Because of this, scientists divide it into five main branches. These are organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, and biochemistry . Let’s investigate them:

  • Organic chemistry examines life. It seeks to understand the molecular structure and behavior of living beings.
  • Inorganic chemistry focuses on materials rather than living beings. Chemists of this field aim to advance technology.

Chemical elements.

  • Physical chemists examine the atomic level of matter. This branch uses physics to study the processes in chemical systems.
  • Analytical chemists investigate what matter consists of. They look for new analyzing procedures and ways to enhance existing ones.
  • Biochemistry studies the fundamental biological systems. It improves our understanding of essential medical issues.

Now that we’ve sorted out chemistry basics, we can examine how to write about it. Whether you’re in high school or already in college, the following guide will help you compose an excellent chemistry paper!

✍️ Tips on How to Write a Chemistry Paper

Each subject has its own rules when it comes to writing papers. In chemistry, the organization is the key. That’s why the first step is to have your lab notes in order. Keep your notebook neat and tidy, and you will see that writing becomes much more manageable.

On top of that, it’s good to have an idea of what an excellent paper should be like. There are three major points you should keep in mind: objectives, style, and structure.

  • Objectives. Your goal is to identify and convey valuable information. If you want to share it with others, it should be presented as credible scientific work.
  • Introduction. Say what your paper will be about.
  • Methods. Present the methods and materials you use.
  • Results. Describe what you observed during the experiment.
  • Discussion. Analyze the results and summarize the relevance of your study.
  • Style. Grammatically correct writing is a must. Your style should be formal, concise, and clear. Use the right tense: write your methods and results in the past. For general truths, you can switch to the present.

Finally, don’t forget that for any type of writing, the right topic is crucial. For inspiration, check out our excellent chemistry paper topics!

  • The history of neurochemistry
  • Astrochemistry vs. astrophysics
  • Is radiochemistry a dying field?
  • Pros and cons of being a biochemist
  • New concepts of chemical engineering
  • What makes quantum chemistry difficult?
  • The importance of agricultural chemistry
  • The impact of WW2 on computational chemistry
  • Ernest Rutherford’s contribution to nuclear chemistry
  • Computer chemistry vs. computational chemistry

🔬 General Chemistry Topics to Write About

Chemistry surrounds us in our everyday life. Have you ever seen moldy bread or boiling water? That’s chemistry in action. Have a look at these 30 easy topics for an introduction into chemistry:

  • What happens to your body when it lacks vitamins?
  • How does acid rain form?
  • Understanding pheromones: how do they affect humans?
  • Explain what atoms are made of.
  • Ionic and covalent compounds: a comparison.
  • How do you solve stoichiometry problems?
  • Give an overview of the states of matter.
  • A delicate balance: how do chemicals in our brains create moods?
  • Describe the noble gas configuration.
  • Marie Curie and her extraordinary legacy.
  • An introduction into acids and bases.
  • Write about hydrologic cycles.
  • What happens when a substance oxidizes?
  • Explain substitution reactions.
  • Compare the Bohr model with the plum-pudding and the Saturnian models.
  • How does a Geiger counter work?
  • Describe the significance of Rutherford’s gold foil experiment.
  • How Michael Faraday forever changed the scientific landscape.
  • What does Prout’s hypothesis state?
  • The history of european alchemy.
  • What are the periodic trends?
  • Explain how to analyze amino acids using protein hydrolysis.
  • What do catalysts do?
  • Everything about lab safety.
  • The radium craze of the early 20th century.
  • How does substance abuse impact your body?
  • Why is it essential to study chemistry in high school?
  • Reaction rates: how do we define them?
  • Before chemistry: ancient philosophy of things changing. 
  • Examine how radioactive decay occurs.

🧑🥼 Chemistry Projects Topics for Science Fair

Experiments are, without a doubt, the most fun part of chemistry. It’s exciting to watch colorful substances fizzle and bubble. If you need ideas for your next project, look no further. Just make sure to follow safety rules!

  • Discover what determines the color changes when iodine and starch react. 
  • Find out how to make photosynthesis visible.
  • Try to synthesize Aspirin.
  • Develop film and explain how you did it.
  • Fiddle a wire through an ice cube without drilling holes.
  • Assess the quality of water and find out what contaminates it.

Catalysts increase chemical reactions.

  • Extract plant oil and study its properties.
  • Observe what happens if you dye wool with different colors.
  • Learn how to make a solution change color.
  • Determine the amount of caffeine in various sorts of tea.
  • How do you produce biogas or liquid from organic waste?
  • Analyze the contents of your toothpaste. Can you find any health hazards?
  • Make a water filter from scratch.
  • Why does lemon juice stop apples from browning?
  • Make a safe smoke bomb.
  • Document the process of growing crystals.
  • Identify the pollutants in the air around you.
  • What makes a flame change color?
  • Biometric technologies: how do they work? 
  • Study invisible ink. What makes it disappear?
  • Wine: how do its chemical compounds relate to its taste?
  • Emulsions: how to make and break them.
  • Compare the effectiveness of different vegetable oils in biodiesel manufacturing.
  • Assess the residue of pesticides in vegetables from various markets.
  • Measure the density of soft drinks. How does sugar affect it?
  • Conductivity: what types of solutions are the best electrical conduits?
  • Food and science: how much energy do nuts and chips produce when burned?
  • Analyze your hair and check for nutrients.
  • Examine what soap needs to foam properly.
  • Change a penny’s color to gold.

🤔 Advanced Chemistry Topics for an Essay

Once you’ve mastered chemistry’s fundamental concepts, you’re ready for the advanced part. Here, you will explore topics such as kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics. Consult our list for 30 interesting advanced chemistry topics:

  • Polymers: what do we use them for?
  • How do spectroscopes work?
  • What chemical information can we find in meteorites?
  • Spectroscopy and its many applications.
  • Schrödinger’s Cat: what did it reveal about radioactive decay?
  • Examine the properties of imino-disaccharides.
  • The importance of carbohydrate-protein interactions in immunology.
  • CRISPR: how does it work?
  • Compare the types of noncovalent bonding.
  • Investigate how molecular recognition can be produced synthetically.
  • Describe the impact of nanotechnology.
  • How does nanoscience change our lives?
  • What does Le Châtelier’s principle state?
  • CBD: what advantages does it have?
  • What causes a chemical process to result in equilibrium?
  • Compare the types of equilibrium.
  • BPA : how toxic is it?
  • Behavior of ideal vs. non-ideal gases.
  • Magnetism and coordination compounds.
  • The principles of molecular orbital theory.
  • Why do certain compounds not exist?
  • How does water recycling work?
  • Cloud seeding: when is it useful?
  • What causes the weather to change?
  • Why do some plants rely on photosynthesis more than others?
  • Describe the properties of hydrogen.
  • Explain the connection between collision theory and concentration.
  • How do the ab initio methods work?
  • Chemistry and the brain: impact of neurotransmitters. 
  • Examine the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia.

🦠 Biochemistry Topics to Research

Have you ever wondered what chemical processes happen inside living organisms? Here’s an example: when we breathe, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Biochemistry combines biology and chemistry to find out how life works on a molecular level. It’s a life science that deals with the cells, proteins, and lipids that form the core of every being. Clinical research highly benefits from biochemical knowledge.

  • Explain enzyme inhibitors and their mechanisms.
  • What are the benefits of epigenetics?
  • Enzyme activity: how can you regulate it?

Peter Atkins quote.

  • Understanding the role of lipase in pathophysiological processes.
  • The chemical processes behind metabolism.
  • Amino acids: industrial applications.
  • Consequences of a protein deficiency.
  • Dietary supplements: help or hazard?
  • How does the Citric Acid Cycle work?
  • Glycolysis : how does it convert glucose?
  • How do solutes move through biological membranes?
  • Explain the sodium-potassium pump.
  • Describe networks and alliances of the biotechnology industry.
  • How does the body react to chlorine exposure?
  • Cells gone rogue: the origins of cancer. 
  • Investigate the functions of hormones.
  • How can we develop new vaccines?
  • Discuss the ethics of stem cell research.
  • The legacy of Dolly the sheep.
  • SCNT: process and applications.
  • What are the chemical compounds of blood? 
  • How do you treat hemophilia?
  • The development of prokaryotes vs. eukaryotes.
  • Discuss the cloning of a DNA fragment and Southern blotting.
  • How does oxidative phosphorylation synthesize ATP?
  • Compare the three types of crystallography.
  • Copying DNA: the principles of PCR.
  • How does recombination repair work?
  • What causes redoximorphic features in various soils?
  • Obtaining protein structures with x-ray crystallography.

🧬 Organic Chemistry Topics for Papers

Organic chemistry serves as the foundation for biochemistry. It is centered on carbon, which is essential to life. Carbon often bonds with other elements as well as itself. That’s what makes it the basis for all organic structures.

  • Describe the properties of a chiral molecule.
  • Atmospheric chemistry: methods and observations.
  • Write about antioxidant potency of polyphenol-rich beverages.
  • Enantiomers and the Fischer projection practice.
  • Investigate possible relationships between stereoisomers.
  • What are the benefits of chemoenzymatic synthesis?
  • Explore the history of vitalism.
  • The production of chemicals using carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions.
  • Hydrocarbon: types and reactions.
  • Examine the four essential types of organic compounds.
  • How do free-radical reactions work?
  • Pathogens: infection cycle and disinfection methods.
  • Give examples of esters in everyday life.
  • How do you turn alcohols into alkyl halides?
  • Mechanisms of aerosol formation.
  • Recent discoveries in molecular tuning.
  • Chemical warfare: the dark side of organic chemistry.
  • What makes a plant poisonous?
  • What makes aromatic compounds unreactive?
  • Phosgene: what makes it toxic?
  • Explain the mechanism of the Diels-Alder Reaction.
  • Alpha carbon reactions: when do aldol condensations occur?
  • How do you identify organic compounds using infrared spectroscopy?
  • Bonds as springs: the mechanical molecular model.
  • Antibiotic resistance: causes and effects.
  • Identify factors that influence proton chemical shifts.
  • What does the electron dot structure show?
  • The properties and reactions of functional groups.
  • What defines a compound as aromatic?
  • How do you name amines?

♻️ Green Chemistry Topics to Write About

If you’re concerned with sustainability, green chemistry is your area of choice. It finds ways to make chemical products less harmful to the environment. Research is done at every stage, from the product’s design to its disposal.

  • How do you prevent pollution?
  • What do you do with toxic waste?
  • Discuss the twelve principles of green chemistry.
  • Source reduction: what are the most effective ways?
  • Biomimicry: is it the best way to sustainability?
  • Eco-friendly packaging and its issues.
  • Compare the effectiveness of various materials used in solar cells.
  • What are the advantages of molar efficiency?
  • Ionic liquids: are they the future of eco-friendly reagents?
  • The U.S. acid rain program: pros and cons. 
  • How can the toxicity of paint be reduced?
  • Innovative ways to avoid pesticides in agriculture.
  • What are the types of bio-based renewable feedstocks?
  • Are bioplastics beneficial for the environment?
  • How do metathesis reactions help reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
  • Computer chips: how do we make them more sustainable?
  • Alternative energies: making fuel from chicken feathers.
  • Is carbon capture effective?
  • Will cultivated meat become a green alternative to traditional farming?
  • How does the Plantrose process work?
  • Discuss the petroleum products problem in the U.S.
  • What are efficient ways to extract and use critical elements more
  • How efficient is artificial photosynthesis?
  • What are the best ways to remove carbon pollution?
  • Electrocatalysis as a way to generate and consume fuels.
  • Discuss the most pressing issues in green chemistry today.
  • How does LCA work?
  • What are efficient ways to extract and use critical elements more sustainably?
  • Recycling and recovery of plastic. 
  • Describe the advantages of Levulinc Acid use.
  • How can we make nuclear energy more viable?

⚗️ Inorganic Chemistry Topics for a Paper

Metals and minerals are parts of inorganic chemistry. Scientists in this field want to understand the behavior and properties of inorganic compounds. Practical uses include the manufacturing of fertilizers, adhesives, and coatings.

Inorganic Chemistry.

  • What are the types of nucleosynthesis?
  • In which ways are chemicals able to bond?
  • How does molecular symmetry predict the chemical properties of a molecule?
  • Vibrational spectroscopy: what is it used for?
  • Discuss the importance of inorganic compounds in biochemistry.
  • The history of atomic theory: an overview.
  • Hematite: matter and mineral. 
  • The peculiarities of hydrogen bonds and polarity.
  • What are the uses of point groups in inorganic chemistry?
  • Determine the factors that impact Brønsted-Lowry acidity.
  • How does HSAB explain reaction mechanisms?
  • What is lattice energy, and how can you measure it?
  • How do you use coordination compounds as catalysts?
  • Red Ferrosols: soil management issues. 
  • Examine the drawbacks of the crystal field theory.
  • Define the selection rules for vibrational transitions.
  • What is the most effective way to grow synthetic diamonds?
  • How do you use the angular overlap model?
  • Explain ligand effects.
  • The magnetic properties of transition metal oxides.
  • Gold: how does it serve medicine?
  • The use of chemistry in jewelry manufacturing.
  • How does the chemical structure of a gemstone determine its color?
  • Alexandrite: what makes it so unique?
  • How do ligand substitution reactions work?
  • Determine the properties of the light types.
  • What are the fundamental laws of photochemistry?
  • What causes phosphorescence?
  • Alloys: what are their benefits?
  • The history of brass and its usage.

⚛️ Nuclear Chemistry Topics for an Essay

You’ve probably been x-rayed before. It means you’ve been exposed to radiation. Nuclear chemistry seeks to understand radioactivity-related processes. One of atomic science’s most critical problems is the disposal of radioactive waste.

  • How do you calculate an element’s half-life?
  • Compare the three different types of radiation.
  • What are the common uses of radioactive elements?
  • How do we know that a nucleus is stable?
  • Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters: a comparison. 
  • How do elements transmute in the process of nuclear fission?
  • Cold fusion: will it ever be possible?
  • Radiation: how does it harm biological systems?
  • Describe the types of decay.
  • Nuclear waste: reprocessing, disposal, and transportation. 
  • How is nuclear chemistry used in medicine?
  • Ways to destroy toxic organic compounds using irradiation.
  • Interactions between water and radioactive elements.
  • How are chemosensors used in radiation chemistry?
  • What are the biological applications of radiochemistry?
  • The nuclear fuel cycle: managing the disposal of nuclear fuel.
  • Discuss reactive hazards in the chemical industry.
  • Compare the efficiency of different extraction methods.
  • Fission products and surfaces: what happens when 9TcO2 gets in contact with steel?
  • Isotopic chemistry: what distinguishes it from nuclear chemistry?
  • Explore the history of NMR.
  • Henri Becquerel and the discovery of radioactivity.
  • The relevance of hydrogen in nuclear fusion.
  • What causes radioactivity?
  • The adverse effects of ionizing vs. non-ionizing radiation.
  • Why are some people skeptical about the term “nuclear?”
  • The Big Bang: how did it create the Universe as we know it?
  • Discuss the unsuccessful efforts in nuclear arms control. 
  • How does radiocarbon dating work?
  • Mass spectrometry: ionization techniques.

🧮 Analytical Chemistry Topics for Essays

The matter comes in all forms and shapes. It can be a compound or a single element. If you want to know how matter is structured, analytical chemistry has the answer. Scientists of this branch ensure that our food and other products are safe to consume.

  • How does activation analysis work?
  • Why is analytical chemistry important for the environment?
  • How do you find iron in a mixture of metals?
  • What are the ways to measure the amount of a specific substance in a compound?

Radium.

  • Identifying hazardous substances in cheese.
  • A simple way to separate chemical compounds: gas chromatography.
  • Aspirin vs. Ibuprofen: comparing the chemical mechanisms of pain relievers.
  • Genetically modified foods and their impact on human health.
  • Food allergies: where do they come from?
  • The best techniques for quantitative chemical analysis.
  • What are the standard techniques to measure the endpoint of a titration?
  • Mass-based analysis: gravimetric analysis.
  • How do you neutralize WVO?
  • Drug safety approach in administration and nursing. 
  • Describe the three types of electroanalytical methods.
  • How do you measure temperature using a calorimeter?
  • Understanding thermodynamics: the Carnot cycle.
  • The process of analyzing salt.
  • How do you identify the shelf life of a medicine?
  • Ways to find adulterants in drugs.
  • Compare the healthiness of bottled water based on its chemical compounds.
  • How can you test cholesterol in blood samples?
  • Examine how analytical chemistry is used in forensic science.
  • What are the advantages of spectrochemical methods?
  • How do you detect pesticides using immunoassays?
  • Miniaturization: how does it advance analytical chemistry?
  • Capillary Liquid Chromatography: an overview.
  • Immunochemistry: applications in environmental analysis.
  • The development of analytical technology in the past 20 years.
  • Explain how to determine PAH sources in soil.

🧪 Physical Chemistry Topics for Papers

Is chemistry not enough for you? Try combining it with physics! For physical chemists, it is crucial to understand how molecules and atoms act. They use various models to study the structure and behavior of these tiny particles.

  • Explain how to determine an atom’s electron configuration.
  • Describe the structure of an atom.
  • Isotopes: why do they exist?
  • What is the Time-of-Flight principle?
  • How do you calculate the mass of an atom?
  • Define successive ionization energies.
  • What are the gas laws?
  • Equation of state: ideal vs. real gases.
  • Explain why the Earth is considered a closed thermodynamic system.
  • What is the Avogadro constant?
  • The difference between empirical and molecular formulae.
  • Calculating percentage yields: balanced equations.
  • How do intermolecular forces affect the melting point of a substance?
  • What are the four types of crystal structures?
  • Define the types of forces that exist between molecules.
  • Explain how to relate the melting point and conductivity of a substance to their type of structure.
  • What is fire in terms of chemistry and thermodynamics?
  • Reasons why molecules with polar bonds might not have a permanent dipole.
  • How do internal combustion engines work?
  • Endothermic or exothermic? Determining enthalpy change.
  • What are the applications of Hess’s law?
  • Explain the use of mean bond enthalpy.
  • When does a collision not cause a reaction?
  • How does temperature affect the reaction rate?
  • How do catalysts work?
  • Describe what Born-Haber cycles are used for.
  • Explore the history of thermochemistry.
  • Give examples of quasi-static processes.
  • The study of chaos: calculating entropy.
  • When is a reaction reversible?

We hope that you found a topic you like. Now good luck with your essay!

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Organic Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction

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Organic chemistry is the chemistry of compounds of carbon. As well as being central to life, in the form of large molecules such as nucleic acids and proteins, organic compounds are essential to many areas of industry. Organic Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction covers the whole range of organic compounds and their roles. Beginning with the structures and properties of the basic groups of organic compounds, it goes on to consider organic compounds in the areas of pharmaceuticals, polymers, food and drink, petrochemicals, and nanotechnology. It explores how new materials, such as graphene, are opening up exciting new possibilities for applications, and also discusses the particular challenges of working with carbon compounds, many of which are colourless.

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  • Published: 09 September 2024

Organic chemistry for kids

  • Arismel Tena Meza 1   na1 ,
  • Laura G. Wonilowicz 1   na1 &
  • Neil K. Garg   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7793-2629 1  

Nature Reviews Chemistry ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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  • Communicating chemistry
  • Organic chemistry

Chem Kids is a science camp where children ages 10 to 12 years old learn the notoriously difficult subject of organic chemistry.

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organic chemistry essay

Shah, T. K. & Garg, N. K. Organic chemistry can sizzle. Nat. Rev. Chem. 1 , 0020 (2017).

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Ippoliti, F. M., Chari, J. V. & Garg, N. K. Advancing global chemical education through interactive teaching tools. Chem. Sci. 13 , 5790–5796 (2022).

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Ippoliti, F. M., Nguyen, M. M., Reilly, A. J. & Garg, N. K. Gaming stereochemistry. Nat. Rev. Chem. 6 , 373–374 (2022).

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Garg, N. K. Empowering students to innovate: engagement in organic chemistry teaching. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 57 , 15612–15613 (2018).

Garg, E., Garg, K. & Garg, N. K. The Organic Coloring Book (2017).

Garg, K., Garg, E. & Garg, N. K. Cheesy Goes to the Doctor (The Organic Coloring Book) (2020).

Dang, J., Lin, B., Yuan, J., Schwartz, S. T., Shah, R. M. & Garg, N. K. Smart access to 3D structures. Nat. Rev. Chem. 2 , 95–96 (2018).

Chatta, I., Ayala, A., Ippoliti, F. M., Chari, J. V., McVeigh, M. S. & Garg, N. K. The O-Chem (Re)activity Book! (2019).

The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024 NSB-2024-3 (National Science Board, National Science Foundation, 2024); https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20243 .

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Acknowledgements

G. M. Scherer, Z. G. Walters, D. W. Turner, D. C. Witkowski, A. T. Hands, L. Q.-A. Van Auken, S. A. French, B. A. Janda, G. A. Miseo, C. A. Rivera, A. M. Clark (Garg Lab, UCLA), E. S. Garg (Palisades Charter High School), and K. S. Garg (Paul Revere Charter Middle School) are acknowledged for their contributions to the development of Chem Kids and/or their participation in the camps. The Sletten Lab (UCLA) is acknowledged for their contributions to the Chem Kids camp and for providing the PHOTONbooth.

Author information

These authors contributed equally: Arismel Tena Meza, Laura G. Wonilowicz.

Authors and Affiliations

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Arismel Tena Meza, Laura G. Wonilowicz & Neil K. Garg

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Correspondence to Neil K. Garg .

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Garg Research Group: https://garg.chem.ucla.edu/

PHOTONbooth: https://slettengroup.chem.ucla.edu/outreach/

QR Chem: https://qrchem.net/

Virtual Reality Chemistry: https://vrchem.net

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Tena Meza, A., Wonilowicz, L.G. & Garg, N.K. Organic chemistry for kids. Nat Rev Chem (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-024-00647-6

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Published : 09 September 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-024-00647-6

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Inspired by the well-established chemistry of H 2 O 2 activation (e.g., Fenton oxidation and UV/H 2 O 2 ), diverse strategies to activate alternative inorganic oxyanions that assume either peroxide (e.g., persulfate and peracetate) or non-peroxide (e.g., periodate and hypochlorite) forms have recently shown promise as feasible technical options for oxidation-based water treatment. Developing high-efficiency catalytic materials for oxyanion activation and elucidating the mechanisms underlying oxidant production and organic degradation will contribute to creating innovative water treatment technologies to address contaminants of emerging concern.

This call for papers for an upcoming Special Issue in ACS ES&T Engineering seeks the latest technological advances in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis for the activation of an expanded pool of peroxide and non-peroxide oxyanions to initiate the radical and non-radical oxidation of aquatic organic pollutants. The Special Issue will focus on the design and fabrication of new catalysts for oxyanion activation, performance assessment and analysis of catalytic oxidation processes, as well as identification of reaction pathways for oxidant generation and oxidative organic degradation.

Topics Include, but are not limited to:

  • Development of heterogeneous catalysts (e.g., metals, nanocarbons, or their composites) for peroxide and non-peroxide activation
  • Design, optimization, and mechanistic/kinetic analysis of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic activation processes
  • Investigations into the mechanisms for radical and non-radical oxidative degradation

Organizing Editors

Professor Jaesang Lee , Guest Editor Korea University, South Korea

Professor Jaehong Kim , Associate Editor, ACS ES&T Engineering Yale University, United States

Professor Xiaoguang Duan , Guest Editor University of Adelaide, Australia

Professor Xuanhao Wu , Guest Editor Zhejiang University, China

Submission Information

We welcome submissions to this Special Issue through January 15, 2025 . For more information on submission requirements, please visit the journal’s Author Guidelines page.

Accepted manuscripts for consideration in this Special Issue will include all the journal’s article types.Papers accepted for publication in this Special Issue will be available ASAP (as soon as publishable) online as soon as they are accepted, and then published in the next available issue. After all submissions have been published, they will then be compiled online on a dedicated landing page to form the Special Issue. Manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo the full rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals.

How to Submit

  • Log in to the ACS Paragon Plus submission site.
  • Choose ACS ES&T Engineering as the submission journal
  • Select your manuscript type, and, under "Special Issue Selection," choose “ Catalytic Peroxide Activation for Water Treatment ."

If you have any general questions regarding submission to this Special Issue, please contact the managing editor ( [email protected] ).

Open Access : There are diverse open access options for publications in American Chemical Society journals. Please visit our Open Science Resource Center for more information.

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