Ideas For College Chemistry Projects

Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes that it undergoes. College students that are studying Chemistry may be assigned various projects that are designed to gauge how well they grasp the subject. Because these projects can sometimes account for a large portion of the student's final grade, students may benefit from selecting projects that stand out from the others.

Designing Molecules is an organic chemistry project which consists of the college student creating a 3-D version of a selected organic compound in order to understand its intricacy. For the project, students select from a variety of molecules such as DEET, caffeine and cholesterol in which to base their experiment. Through developing a blueprint of the molecule, constructing the molecule itself, creating a legend explaining the structure of the molecule and writing a detailed paragraph that explains the importance of the molecule, the student is able to present the molecule in greater detail. Helpful information to include in the project may consist of details on the history of the molecule, its discovery, whether the molecule is natural or synthetic and how the molecule functions.

Because Alzheimer's Disease is an organic disorder of the brain, understanding its chemistry is key to the search for a cure. In an Alzheimer's Disease project, the student creates a drawing or physical reproduction of the brain and presents it along with a detailed list of how the disease affects the chemistry of the brain and how those effects lead to memory loss and dementia. Students should present their findings alongside a list of known pharmaceutical drugs that have been shown to have an effect on the progression of Alzheimer's Disease and how they work.

In a Sample Observation project, the student selects an organic or synthetic molecule and studies the effect of exposure to the molecule over time. The student presents a detailed construction of the molecule alongside a poster board which describes the molecule which includes the history of the molecule, whether it is synthetic or organic and information on what elements were used that rendered an effect on the molecule. Students should also present information on how long the effect took to present itself and the circumstances that surrounded the changes along with a time sheet that shows how often the molecule was observed.