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This The Treatment of Oil Spills—Microscale Chemistry activity also includes:
- Apparatus and Techniques for Microscale Chemistry
- Lab & Experiment
- Worksheet
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When oil spills happen, how is the oil cleaned up? Pupils of polymer science discover an amazing substance that turns oil into a solid during a microscale experiment. Individuals observe oil or paraffin before and after addition of the polymer, then apply them to large-scale oil spills.
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NGSS:
Adaptable
Concepts
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
- Use the activity as a demonstration, then launch an inquiry project that has students evaluate the polymer as a solution to human impact on marine ecosystems
- Conduct a class discussion about the uses of the polymer on a large scale and examine its advantages and disadvantages
Classroom Considerations
- Discuss polymer chemistry before performing the experiment if learners are not familiar with the structure of polymers
Pros
- The activity has several applications, including to show the link between environmental science and engineering
- Teacher's guide contains a printable worksheet and student reference materials
Cons
- None