Secondary School Feature Articles

* A Simple, Transparent Fume Hood, by John Fredericks, p 1299

* Solving the Mystery of Fading Fingerprints with London
Dispersion Forces, by Doris R. Kimbrough and Ronald DeLorenzo, p 1300

* London Dispersion Forces and "The Wave", by C. Jayne Wilcox, p 1301

Natural Products and a Natural Interest

Most high school students-and their teachers-are interested in chemicals that have biological significance, especially true when they are recognizable through news reports, as in the case of the anticancer agent taxol. This month's article in the "Viewpoints: Chemists on Chemistry" series has the potential to be especially valuable. It connects organic chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and medicine. Among the molecules discussed are cholesterol, lysergic acid, reserpine, strychnine, chlorophyll a, cortisone, aspirin, penicillin, vitamin B₁₂, taxol, rapamycin, and brevetoxins A and B. The synthetic details, illustrated in several figures, may not be of interest to many readers who teach high school chemistry, but the text contains a great deal of interesting and useful information that can be read without mastering all the synthetic detail. On the other hand, if synthetic organic chemistry is your "thing", the article will be even more fun for you to read. Whether or not you are interested in the synthetic details, this is a useful resource article for teachers.

In addition to discussing specific compounds, the authors comment on the relationship between drug discovery and medicinal chemistry with respect to such drugs as Prozac, Acyclovir, Claritin, and Zantac. There is an explanation of combinatorial synthesis, a relatively new technique that has revolutionized the process of identifying compounds of biological interest in a systematic and logical fashion. The article concludes with a discussion of perspectives on the future, which can be helpful in orienting the reader to recognize the significance of new discoveries as they are announced.

This issue also contains several laboratory experiments that will likely be of interest to teachers of second-year chemistry or biology, and perhaps first-year courses as well. I found it difficult to decide which of these articles should be identified with the secondary school chemistry logo in the table of contents, owing to the wide range of teacher interest and available equipment. If the laboratory experiment requires use of equipment such as FTIR, a high-speed centrifuge, or mass spectrometry, it is not identified with the logo. If you have an interest in such experiments I encourage you to scan all the laboratory experiments, including those not designated with the logo. On the other hand, some of the articles that are identified with the logo require use of a micropipet, so that may rule out use of the experiment in some cases. Regardless, I encourage you to use this issue as a valuable resource in relating chemistry to biology and medicine.

Teachers Contribute to the Success of 15th BCCE

The Fifteenth Biennial Chemical Education Conference, held in Waterloo, Ontario, was an enjoyable and informative occasion. The superb hospitality shown by Reg Friesen, Lew Brubaker, their University of Waterloo colleagues, and the BCCE staff set the tone for a successful conference. A big thank you is in order! Another group who made a substantial contribution to the success of the conference is the large number of high school and middle school teachers who presented workshops, organized symposia, and presented papers and posters. MaryAnn Varanka Martin, Estes Park High School (CO), organized a very timely symposium "Making Inquiry Learning and Technology Work in the High School Classroom: Sharing Success Stories". Speakers included Martin; Linda Ford, Sycamore High School (Cincinnati, OH); Mike Petraglia, Greeley West High School (CO); Bruce Randall, Northglenn High School (CO); and Douglas Horn, UNC Laboratory School (Greeley, CO). A large number of teachers who participated in Operation Progress reported on innovations made in their classrooms since BCCE-14. Among the sessions I attended were talks by R. W. Johnson, South Brunswick High School (NJ); Christine Cannell, Canfield High School (OH); Joseph Fowlkes, Fairmont-Harford High School (MD); Ruby Bryant, Colonel White High School of the Arts (OH); Nooshin Beigi, Beaumont School (OH); Bruce Parks, Wilmington Middle/High School (VT), Peggy Clayton, Northeast Lauderdale High School (MS); Stephen Smith, Greensburg-Salem High School (PA); Elizabeth Moore, Southridge Senior High School (FL); Robert Konchak, Laconia High School (NH); Melissa Lipa, Mount Pleasant High School (RI); and David Trapp, Sequim (WA). Lillie Tucker Akin, Tupelo Christian Preparatory School (MS), spoke on "Past, Present, and Future-Carrying on the OP Tradition" and Glenn and Jane Crosby, the founders of Operation Progress, explained how "Operation Progress Goes International". Teachers with an interest in ChemCom were well served with a symposium organized by Robert Dayton, Sperry High School, Henrietta (NY). High school teachers making presentations included Maria Walsh, Pike Township High School (IN); Dayton; Rose Davidson, St. Joseph's Academy (MO); Ruth Leonard, Gwinnett County (GA); and John Banker, Sperry High School (NY). To the many teachers whose sessions I was unable to attend I would like to say congratulations and thank you also.

Next summer there will be a CHEMED Conference. These are held in alternating years. Plan now to attend and share from your experiences in the classroom and laboratory. If you are not on the mailing list for CHEMED '99, contact Babu George, Department of Chemistry, Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06432 for information. The next Biennial Chemical Education Conference will be held in August 2000 at the University of Michigan.