Enrichment Opportunities: Molecules
Read the introductory information and then choose ONE of the enrichment activities
listed below.
The Wonders of Water
What is the difference between a pile of water molecules and a water droplet? Is there a
difference? Certainly! When five or fewer water molecules group together, they bond
tightly in a cluster. However, when a sixth molecule joins in, everything changes. The
bonds between molecules break and re-form, causing structures that give a water droplet
its found shape. It is the bonds between the water molecules as well as the bonds within
a single molecule that give water its unique properties.
Ice Demystified
Water is odd when it comes to on particular property- freezing. The solid form of most
substances is more dense than its liquid form, but not so with water! Have you ever
wondered why ice floats in water? Well, between water molecules, there are weak bonds
called hydrogen bonds. Research these bonds. How do they work? Build a model of
water molecules that demonstrates hydrogen bonding, and write your findings as a
newspaper article.
Buckyballs
What do fuzzyballs and buckyballs have to do with chemical bonding? Each are
nicknames for different forms of fullerenes. Diamonds, graphite, and fullerenes are very
different substances, but they are all made of carbon atoms. Find out more about the
discovery and use of fullerenes. How are the atoms in diamonds, graphite, and fullerenes
arranged? How do the properties of the substances differ? Present your findings in a
poster.
Tiny Plastic Factories
What do bacteria and plastic bags have in common? Well, plastics are a type of chemical
compound called a polymer. And, certain bacteria produce polymers. Most of the plastic
items we use are made out of human-made polymers that are very difficult to break
down. These plastics may sit in landfills for decades and never decompose. Scientists
are researching ways to use bacterial polymers to create biodegradable plastics. These
plastics are more easily broken down than the plastics that crowd our landfills.
Biodegradable plastics, such as those made by bacteria, may be the answer to some of our
landfill problems. We know how to get the bacteria to make the polymers, but how do
you think we can get the bacteria to make them in the shape of a bag?!
A Plastic World
Find out some other approaches to making biodegradable plastics. What makes a plastic
able to break down? Does the use of biodegradable plastics solve all landfill problems
associated with plastics? Could biodegradable plastics have a negative effect on the
environment? Write an environmental science article explaining the kinds of
biodegradable plastics that may be used in the future.
The History of Plastics
Plastics have a history! Research the history of plastics beginning with the invention of
celluloid in 1869. What were the first items to be made from plastics? What were the
most important breakthroughs in the development of plastic materials? How many
different types of plastics exist? What advantages are there to using plastics over other
materials? What are some of the byproducts of plastic manufacturing? Create a threedimensional timeline with wimples of plastics from different points in history.
Copyright  by Holt, Rinehart and Winston