Chemistry Projects 2010

From the Periodic Table to the Kitchen #3- Investigation of household chemicals for incorporation into the middle and high school curricula

Faculty Mentors - Drs. Samuel Hudson, David Saiki

All too often, chemistry and chemical research is seen as a mysterious activity relegated to obscure labs using black-box type instruments not to really be understood by the public or especially students. The purpose of this project has been to strip-away some of the veils that get in the way of understanding this "central science." In this project, students and teachers will develop a series of demonstrations and experiments that use cheap, commonly available items that ably demonstrate many scientific principles. In addition, teachers and students will work together to create a lab manual to take back to school and home. This manual will address California Science Standards for each demonstration and is intended to be a resource that teachers and take and use in the classroom. This year's demonstrations include experiments that cover topics such as: Solar Cells, Sound and Chemistry, Fog Machines, Chemical Fountains, and Batteries. Participants in this project will also be able to suggest additional experiments that will be included in this third manual.

Metabolic Profiling of Peppers (Capsicum sps) and Evaluation of Capsaicinoids as Potential Antibiotics

Faculty Mentor - Dr. Roy LaFever

Peppers have been used extensively throughout modern human history. The plants and fruit have been utilized in myriad of ways related to both culinary and medicinal uses. Peppers produce a variety of secondary natural products. In particular, pepper fruit accumulates several compounds known as capsaicinoids. The predominant capsaicinoid is the compound capsaicin, which is the major "heat producing" component of pepper extracts. Although capsaicin has been well studied there are few reports regarding biological activities of the other capsaicinoids or unrelated metabolites found in peppers. The focus of this research is two-fold. First to examine the constituents of several pepper species through chemical means, and secondly to screen the pepper extracts for important biological activities. This type of research is ideally suited for a small group, or team. A group of secondary students and a team leading educator will cultivate peppers in the greenhouse and produce extracts from the plants for chemical analysis. This analysis will identify and quantify the isolated constituents in preparation for carrying out biological activity assays. The assays will examine antibacterial activity and antioxidant potential of the pepper extracts. The skills obtained from this research will include basic chemical skills and laboratory techniques as well as hands-on experience utilizing sophisticated analytical instrumentation. In addition, the assays designed to screen for biological activities will expose the team to a highly interdisciplinary project that bridges the disciplines of chemistry, biochemistry, and biology.