Academic Programs
High School Level
Green Chemistry – A focus area of the NYSP2I Academic Programs is Green Chemistry. Green chemistry aims to reduce the environmental impact of chemistry by using more environmentally friendly, less toxic chemicals and processes. Green chemistry uses safer inputs, reduces waste, and results in safer outputs compared to conventional chemistry, all while reducing pollution and toxics. Green chemistry promotes innovative, environmentally friendly sustainable technologies.
Green Chemistry Modules for NYS Regents High School Chemistry
Many high school chemistry lab experiments use hazardous chemicals, generate hazardous waste, or use non-renewable feedstocks. NYSP2I, in partnership with SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Brockport, developed a series of six green chemistry modules (below) to replace traditional experiments typically used in NYS Regents chemistry courses. All modules correlate to the NYS Regents Chemistry Curriculum and have been tested by both chemistry professionals and NYS high school chemistry teachers to ensure their effectiveness and correlation to the NYS curriculum requirements.
Each lab module includes a Teacher’s Guide and Student Packet:
- Teacher’s Guide - includes intended audience, recommended student background, activity timeline, safety issues, advanced preparation, materials checklist, measurements, recycling and disposal, introduction to green chemistry, correlation to green chemistry, alignment to the NYS Regents and Core curriculums, background & fundamentals, guidance notes, the lab procedure, answers to the pre and post lab questions.
- Student Packet - includes introduction, introduction to green chemistry, correlation to green chemistry, safety issues, materials and equipment, the lab procedure, data collection forms, pre and post lab questions.
Lab modules are provided by NYSP2I free of charge to instructors. To receive a copy of the lab modules, please contact us at (585) 475-2512 or nysp2i@rit.edu, using the subject “green chemistry modules”. Please have the following information ready: your name, the course you teach, the school you are affiliated with, including city, state, county, and the modules you would like to receive. Note: NYSP2I will not supply modules to students or email addresses that are not affiliated with a school.
Available Modules:
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Students make bioplastic from corn starch, corn oil, and water. Students research bioplastics and formulate ideas about why and when bioplastics would be appropriate to use and under what conditions they would not be recommended. |
Solubility of a Sparingly Soluble Salt Students determine the KSP of a sparingly soluble salt, Li2CO3. The students titrate a saturated solution of lithium carbonate with hydrochloric acid to determine its concentration and then calculate the KSP. |
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Students determine the composition of a hydrate by heating it to drive off the water of hydration. In this lab, manganese sulfate monohydrate is used as the hydrate instead of copper sulfate pentahydrate which is traditionally used. |
Functional Groups in Organic Chemistry Students are given a set of unknown chemicals and identify their unknown using a series of chemical tests. The module can be tailored based on the needs of each class. . |
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Students isolate the essential oil cinnamaldehyde from ground cinnamon. This technique is used commercially as an economically attractive technique for extracting cinnamaldehyde, used as a flavoring and in perfumes, as well as other applications. This lab activity provides students with good practice in organic chemistry techniques, particularly distillation and separation via separatory funnel |
Types of Reactions: The Copper Cycle Students perform a series of reactions known as the copper cycle. The reaction series includes single replacement, double replacement, synthesis, and decomposition reactions. In each of two cycles, students complete a series of reactions that results in the final product regenerating the original starting material. |
College Level
NYSP2I provides opportunities for students to engage in research and programmatic activities focusing on pollution prevention. Located at Rochester Institute of Technology, NYSP2I has access to one of the most successful co-op programs in the country, where students can obtain excellent work experience prior to graduation. NYSP2I utilizes full-time co-op and part-time students to assist with program activities, while cultivating the skills required to enter a career in the field of sustainability. In addition, graduate and PhD students at the four partner universities (RIT, Clarkson University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the University at Buffalo) participate in faculty-led research projects as part of the NYSP2I R&D program.
A program to integrate green chemistry concepts at the undergraduate level is also being explored by the four NYSP2I university partners through the Technical Advisory Committee. Click here for a list of U.S. and international education programs in Green Chemistry.