Natural? Artificial? CHEMICAL!
Teaching module for senior secondary schools 15 – 29 October 2024
Everyone knows that, don’t they? Natural is better than chemical.
What could be healthier than Granny’s recipes based exclusively on natural ingredients?
Or more sustainable than chemical-free products?
It is a thought that often bounces around on TV, social media, and even on supermarket shelves.
This is why chemistry sometimes conveys an unjustified wariness, sometimes fear.
In this lecture series, we will look at three worlds we come into contact with every day (the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the colours through which we express ourselves) to tell how chemistry improves the options nature gives us.
And not only that: it also gives us the tools to do it in a healthy and safe way, for us and for the environment.
Aromas
- Tuesday 15 October 2024 at 10:00 - 12:00
In 1851, artificial fruit-flavoured sweeties made their triumphant entry into Victorian London, greeted by great enthusiasm.
Today, in 2024, the phrase 'no artificial flavourings' prevails on product labels, to the point of convincing us that these kinds of flavourings are something we really should avoid!
In the first lesson, we will explore the chemistry of natural and artificial flavourings to understand the differences, learn about their history and dispel the myths that question their safety and sustainability.
Fibres
- Tuesday 22 October 2024 at 10:00 - 12:00
At one time, the choice was limited: cotton, wool, silk (but only for the rich), and little else.
Now, looking at the labels on our clothes is - almost - like reading a chemistry book: nylon, spandex, polyester, tencel... in short, there seems to be a material for every need (and every pocket)!
In this second lesson, we will try to understand the advantages and problems of natural, man-made and synthetic fibres.
Colours
- Tuesday 29 October 2024 at 10:00
Every morning we choose clothes in the colour that most reflects our mood; shortly afterwards, we highlight our notes with the highlighter in the colour we prefer.
They are actions that we take for granted, but which are not at all. Until (relatively) recently, colour was a privilege for the few.
Natural molecules with a colouring effect were either very expensive or very ineffective.
It was only with the advent of the first dyes, created in a laboratory, that the world really became colourful. In this third and final lesson, we will see how this multiplicity of colours was achieved.
