A book for chemistry teachers

Lessons in chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a brilliant read from many perspectives; an engrossing tale of the discrimination suffered by women in science, an unlikely love story, the trials of motherhood, a critique of primary education, the power of friendship, the chemistry of cookery and its impact on women’s liberation! A gripping novel challenging the status quo through analogies with chemistry. Here is a wonderful extract in which the heroine Elizabeth Zott talks to the audience of her TV cookery show, Supper at Six, about bonding.

Today we are going to study three different types of chemical bonds: ionic, covalent and hydrogen. Why learn about bonds? Because when you do you will grasp the very foundation of life. Plus your cake will rise. Ionic is the ‘opposites attract’ chemical bond. For instance, let’s say you wrote your PhD thesis on free market economics but your husband rotates tyres for a living. You love each other but he’s probably not interested in hearing about the invisible hand. And who can blame him because you know the invisible hand is libertarian garbage. The point is that you and your husband are completely different and yet you still have a strong connection. That’s fine. It’s also ionic. Or perhaps your marriage is more of a covalent bond. And if so, luck you, because that means you both have strengths that, when combined, create something even better. For example, when we combine hydrogen and oxygen, what do we get? Water or H₂O as it’s more commonly known. In many respects a covalent bond is not unlike a party – one that’s made better thanks to the pie you made and the wine he brought. … That brings us to the third bond, the hydrogen bond – the most fragile and delicate bond of all. I call this the ‘love at first sight’ bond because both parties are drawn to each other based solely on visual information: you like his smile; he likes your hair. But then you talk and discover he’s a closet Nazi and thinks women complain too much. Poof. Just like that the bond is broken. That’s the hydrogen bond for you ladies – a chemical reminder that if things seem too good to be true, they probably are. … “See?” a woman in Santa Monica demanded as she turned to her sullen seventeen-year-old daughter, the girl’s eye liner so thick, it looked as if planes could land there. “What did I tell you? Your bond with that boy is hydrogen only. When are you going to wake up and smell the ions?” “Not that again” “You could go to college. You could be something.” “He loves me!” “He’s holding you back.”

I used to be a chemistry teacher and I find that piece inspirational. I dabbled similarly writing the following piece about the reactivity series of metals reconfigured as ‘The true-life confessions of an electron – a tale where the characters are moved by forces they can’t control.’

I started life with magnesium. Oh, they warned me, my old aunts (the inert gases). “He’s frightfully reactive, you know. As soon as he can he’ll pass you on to somebody else. He always gets rid of his electrons.” But I didn’t care, I was young and so attracted to him. Besides they were only jealous. They hadn’t lived at all – the odd phase change in the low temperature research labs was the only experience they had ever had. I think I knew all along that it couldn’t last. He would gaze broodingly at passing ions. It was during one of these dark moods that we bumped into Pb²⁺ (aq). Oh! The pain and heartache. In an instant he just handed me over. Then he was gone, completely changed, dancing off with a crown of adoring water molecules all clustering around him. I thought I’d die, but gradually I overcame the heartbreak. Auntie Neon was kind – nothing ever happened when we bumped into her. She told me, on one side, that Pb was a much more stable chap, far less likely to give me up. I was lucky to be part of his family circle of electrons. A word of warning though – keep clear of the blue light district where Cu²⁺ (aq) hangs out: he’d accept electrons from almost anybody and would make an offer even my own Pb couldn’t refuse.  We were happy and content, it seemed that nothing could disturb us. We went to parties and took part in the gay social whirl. We even bumped into my old ex, now Mg²⁺ (aq) – not the slightest frisson, he seemed completely uninterested. Yes, I was a fool to think it could las forever. It was on the way home from a meeting of the Ancient Order of Plumbers (we’re always invited to their ‘do’s’), that it happened. We took a short cut. It all seemed rather narrow and dark. I started to get worried when we almost ran into a halide ion that hissed something about ‘buying dirty Periodic Tables’. We hurried past, around a corner and it was then we collided with Cu²⁺ (aq). In a flash Pb handed me over. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. He changed completely, lurched off with a crowd of water molecules only to fall into the clutches of two chloride on floozies. I can tell you they wasted no time in getting their hooks into him, just dragged him down to become part of a waiting giant structure. There was no escape. I was firmly held …

I concluded the piece with these questions:

1. Write down the equations for the electron transfer reactions that are described in the story.
2. Write down the equation for the precipitation reaction described in the story.
3. Your chance to become a romantic novelist. Write a continuation if the story – The further adventure of Lizzy Lectron. Will she ever find an atom that keeps her?

In the light of woke awareness concerning the variability of gender identity and sexuality I now need to write the last part of Question 3 as ‘Will she/he/they ever find an atom that keeps them?’

If possible I think it would be good for D&T teachers to talk with their chemistry teacher colleagues about this piece as a starting point for looking at links between the two subjects especially as the reactivity of metals often causes problems in the environment, is important in the construction of rechargeable batteries plus metals are intriguing construction materials in their own right..

As always comments welcome