Socrates Fellows Our Projects Chemistry Life Is Organic Chemistry
Organic chemistry - the heart of biology
Andro Rios and Gerry French, a biology teacher at Montgomery High School, have developed activities showing organic chemistry is at the heart of biology. First, an inquiry-based, approach to organic molecules engaged the sense of smell, taste, and vision. Every week additional molecules that reflect the current topic of biology were introduced and explored.
Andro's second project covered the subjects of DNA damage (specifically oxidation), mutation and health. Students constructed paper models of small strands of DNA, RNA, and proteins using nucleotides and amino acids to discover the role oxidation has on their damage and how mutations originate. A class research project was pursued to understand the role of antioxidants in biology.
In addition to researching the abundance of antioxidants in the foods we eat and the similarities they share in molecular structure, total antioxidant activity found in common fruits, vegetables, and especially in the widely advertised “high in antioxidants” energy, sport and health beverages were compared.
