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Green Chemistry Teaching Modules

Free Green & Sustainable Chemistry Resources for Undergraduate InstructorsÌý

Human musculoskeletal diagram with chemical reactions, representing stereochemistry processes

Representation of chirality in stereochemistry

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The ACS Green Chemistry Institute has partnered with chemistry instructors from over 45 institutions to develop green and sustainable chemistry education resources for undergraduate students studying general and organic chemistry. These teaching modules address standard curricular topics and draw connections between green and sustainable chemistry, systems thinking, and theÌý. This approach to learning undergraduate chemistry centers around the foundational concepts of the core curriculum, while encouraging students to become systems thinkers who relate chemistry concepts to real-world systems. Green chemistry modules offer a way to teach chemistry through a systems-thinking lens and empower students to create innovations that help solve sustainability challenges.

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Module Materials Contain:

  • An overview guide for all module contents
  • PowerPoint presentations
  • Printable activities for students
  • Instructor materials
  • Links to supplementary resources & articles

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Green Chemistry & Sustainability

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Explore the foundational concepts of chemistry through aÌýsystems thinkingÌýlens, with an emphasis on sustainability practices

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General & Organic Chemistry

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Lectures, activities and units that prepare students to advance and succeed in a rapidly changing and global chemistry landscape

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U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

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A curriculum aligned with the theÌý

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Modules by Discipline

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General Chemistry

Organic Chemistry



Featured Modules

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Ideal Gases and the Nitrogen Cycle

Explore the anthropogenic N2Ìýcycle and ideal gas concepts to understand the environmental consequences, hazards, and risks of chemical reactions involving gas phase components.

Stereochemistry: Introduction to Chirality

Explore chirality in stereochemistry through the lens of the World Health Organization’s "Model List of Essential Medicines".

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All Modules

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Alcohols

This module uses simple alcohols as the primary examples to supplement the standard organic topics of physical properties, intramolecular forces, base stability, and an introduction to mechanism arrows.Ìý

Amines in Pharmaceutical Synthesis

Learn about the synthesis of amines with a focus on the reductive amination reaction. Through this module, students will be able to evaluate the traditional methods using green chemistry principles and Systems Thinking approaches.Ìý

Carbonyls Redox: Aldehydes and KetonesÌý

Explore aldehydes and ketones as the substrates and products of redox reactions. In this module, structure is explained with both Lewis structures and molecular orbitals to discuss mechanisms in the context of green chemistry.

Ethers and Sulfides

Explore the synthesis and reactivity of ethers and epoxides and understand the chemical properties, uses, sources, safety, and environmental considerations surrounding the use of ethers.

Hydrocarbons; Fuels and Feedstocks

This module uses transportation fuels as the theme to connect the organic concepts of hydrocarbon structure, intramolecular forces and physical properties to green and sustainable chemistry.Ìý

Ideal Gases and the Nitrogen Cycle

Explore the anthropogenic N2Ìýcycle and ideal gas concepts to understand the environmental consequences, hazards, and risks of chemical reactions involving gas phase components.

Kinetics

This module uses examples of water quality and water treatment to explore fundamental concepts in chemical kinetics for General Chemistry.

Pericyclic Reactions

Explore the fundamentals of pericyclic reactions and their role in pharmaceutical and agrochemical processes using examples of biocatalysis, biomimetic catalysis, and natural product total synthesis.Ìý

SN1 and SN2
Reactions

Discover how solvent selection correlates to reaction mechanisms of SN1 and SN2 reactions and exploreÌýthe environmental, health, safety and life cycle considerations of nucleophilic substitution reactions.

Stereochemistry: Introduction to Chirality

Explore chirality in stereochemistry through the lens of the World Health Organization’s "Model List of Essential Medicines".

Stoichiometry

Learn about the impacts of combustion reactions and the connections between combustion, fuels, and green chemistry metrics. This module helps first semester students evaluate a variety of reaction metrics, including yield and mass efficiencies.

Systems Thinking in Chemistry

Learn about the fundamental concepts of systems thinking and how systems thinking is essential to the the practice of green chemistry and key to solving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).Ìý

Thermochemistry & Energy Use

This module helps first year general chemistry students apply thermochemistry concepts and calculations to evaluate energy changes for processes that have environmental and societal consequences.

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The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals & Green Chemistry

These modules reference the United NationsÌý (SDGs) to highlight how green chemistry education supports the U.N's mission toÌýaddress the many sustainability and systems thinking challenges facing our world.

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Sustainable Development Goals logo

More Green & Sustainable Chemistry Resources for Educators

ACS Sustainability Summits

The annual Sustainability Summit explores current challenges in green and sustainable chemistry.

Sustainable Chemistry Grants & Awards

Apply for grants and awards for early career faculty, undergraduate educators and scholars who have demonstrated achievements inÌýgreen chemistry and sustainability education.

ACS GCI's Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference

The 2025ÌýGreen Chemistry & Engineering Conference will be held June 23-26 in Pittsburgh, PA, with the theme Good Health & Well-Being Through Sustainable Chemistry.

Contact
ACS Green Chemistry Institute

Email Us

gci@acs.org

Call Us

+1 202-872-6102
1-800-227-5558, ext. 6102