Bustin' Bunnies: An Adaptable Inquiry-Based Approach Introducing Molecular Weight and Polymer Properties

Plastics are more prevalent in our society than ever before, yet the general public has a limited understanding of why plastics have properties that are vastly different from other common materials such as glass and ceramics. This lab is designed to introduce students to several introductory principles of polymer science and their relation to the plastics industry, while providing points for discussing some of the possible environmental and health hazards associated with plastics. In this lab, students polymerize e-caprolactone to polycaprolactone and then investigate the properties of the resulting polymer. The procedure is inquiry-based in that students are tasked with determining a method for mechanical testing and with pooling the class data to determine and interpret the resulting mechanical property trend. Follow-up questions are designed to help students understand this trend and how it relates to common plastics. This procedure has been successful in a college setting and an AP chemistry class in high school.