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Chapter 14: Carbon Chemistry

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Basic Organic Nomenclature
This site features tutorials on how to name organic chemicals. Requires a special plug-in available at the site. Visit this site and name three organic compounds, then make your own models of these molecules.

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Native American Herbal Plant Knowledge
The Native Americans knew that plants can be very helpful. Access this site to learn how they used plants to do everything from flavoring food to curing illness. Under the supervision of your teacher, develop a cookbook or medicine guide for common plants in your area.

Medicinal Plants [Updated link coming soon.]
This site, run by the World Wildlife Fund, gives a general breakdown and history of the use of plants in medicine. Read this article and summarize it in your science journal.

Discovery of Taxol [Updated link coming soon.]
Visit this page for a history the drug taxol. When was taxol discovered and who discovered it?

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Biochemistry of Lipids
This page has extensive information about lipids and other fatty molecules. Use the information on this site to profile a specific molecule in your science journal. Be sure to include an image and chemical structure of the molecule.

Unit 5: Foundations of Life

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The American Fern Society
Visit this site for information on the history and ecology of ferns. How many species of ferns exist today? What is the primary means of reproduction in ferns?

Pine Life History
Visit this site for a description of reproduction in pines. What makes the woody trunk of a pine? View the art showing the development of a seed. Find debris from conifers in your area and identify their parts according to the information on this site.

MendelWeb: Flower Structure
Visit this site to learn about flower structures. View the drawing that illustrates the basic structure of a flower, and find out which part receives and retains pollen grains. Make a model of a flower and identify all the parts.

Photosynthetic Pigments
Visit this site for a breakdown of plant pigments. What is the difference between chlorophylls and carotenoids?

Chromatography of Chlorophyll [Updated link coming soon.]
This is a high school biology lab that you can perform with the pigments in a spinach leaf. With your teacher's supervision, perform this experiment and compare the results with others in your class.

Amino Acid Basics [Updated link coming soon.]
Visit this site to learn more about the pieces of amino acids. As a small group, use toothpicks and foam balls to build your own molecule shown on the Web page.

Proteins
This site shows a QuickTime 3-D model movie of a protein. Write an entry in your science journal explaining why the shape of a protein is important.

Molecular Modeling
This site shows various models of molecules, which can be manipulated the help of the Chemscape Chime Plug-in. Visit this site and explain the importance of having three-dimensional models.

Chemical Models [Updated link coming soon.]
This page has illustrations of some different common organic molecules. Visit this site and compare the different ways to model these molecules. Make your own molecules using ball and stick models.

Plants National Database
The USDA sponsors this site, which provides a database of standardized information on plants. Click on Photo Gallery to view photographs of various categories of plants, including noxious plants and crops. Use the information on this site to write an article about plants for a class newsletter.