Chemistry is the study of matter and how it changes. Advanced chemistry projects let high school students dig deeper into areas like organic synthesis, electrochemistry, and computational chemistry, while practicing core techniques such as synthesis, purification, and analysis. The ten ideas below span the main areas of modern chemistry.
Why science research?
Research is how you learn to ask a precise question and answer it with evidence. It builds critical thinking, lets you explore a topic you care about, and gives you something concrete to show for it on college applications. You are not just learning what is already known. You are adding to it.
What is ISEF?
The International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the top pre-college science competition, drawing thousands of students from over 80 countries. Students present research across scientific disciplines and compete for scholarships, internships, and grand awards. It is also a place to meet other young researchers and working scientists.
Rishab Jain, winner of the Regeneron Young Scientist Award (i.e. TOP 3, winning $50,000!) at ISEF 2022, looked at “Synthetic DNA Engineering With ICOR”. This project delved into the field of synthetic biology, focusing on improving protein production in E. coli, vital for vaccine development. The core of his work was codon optimization, which involves selecting the best DNA sequences to enhance protein synthesis. Traditional methods often overlook cellular dynamics, leading to inefficiencies. Jain introduced ICOR, a tool that applies a recurrent neural network (RNN) with a bidirectional long short-term memory (LSTM) architecture, analyzing a dataset of high-expression E. coli genes.
Want to learn how Rishab won a grand award at ISEF? Watch his video on how he did it.
TOP 10 Chemistry Research Ideas
1. Synthesis of Aspirin
For students interested in pharmaceutical chemistry, synthesizing aspirin offers an exciting and educational project. Starting with salicylic acid and acetic anhydride, students can explore the esterification reaction, learning about organic synthesis and functional group transformations. The project also covers essential laboratory techniques like reflux, filtration, and recrystallization, which are crucial for purifying the synthesized compound. Students can go further by testing the purity of the aspirin through melting point determination or thin-layer chromatography, providing an introduction to analytical chemistry.
2. Electrochemical Cells
This project delves into electrochemistry, a key area in modern chemistry. Students can build a simple voltaic cell using metals like zinc and copper, exploring how redox reactions generate electrical energy. They can expand this by designing different types of cells, such as Daniel or Leclanché cells, and comparing their voltages and efficiencies. The project introduces concepts like electrode potentials, half-reactions, and electron transfer. Additionally, students can investigate how different electrolytes or concentrations impact the cell’s performance, offering practical insights into the chemistry behind batteries.
3. Polymers from Scratch
Students can explore the world of polymer chemistry by synthesizing various polymers from basic chemicals. For example, they can create nylon through the condensation reaction between a diamine and a diacid chloride, learning about polycondensation and polymer structure. Alternatively, students can make slime or putty from polyvinyl alcohol and borax, studying cross-linking and its impact on polymer properties. This project provides hands-on experience with chemical reactions and highlights the versatility of polymers in everyday materials.
4. Green Chemistry and Biofuels
In this project, students can explore sustainable chemistry by creating biodiesel from vegetable oil. The transesterification reaction involves mixing the oil with methanol and a catalyst, yielding biodiesel and glycerol. This project emphasizes green chemistry principles, such as atom economy and reducing waste. Students can also analyze the properties of the resulting fuel, comparing its viscosity and burning properties to traditional diesel, and explore the environmental impact of biofuels versus fossil fuels.
5. Molecular Docking Studies
This project introduces students to the world of computational chemistry by exploring molecular docking simulations. Using open-source software, students can investigate how molecules, such as potential drug compounds, interact with biological targets. This project dives into concepts like molecular geometry, binding affinities, and structure-activity relationships. It offers a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, showing how computational models aid in modern pharmaceutical development.
6. Synthesis of Natural Dyes
Students can explore the chemistry of natural dyes by extracting pigments from plants or other natural sources. For example, they can extract anthocyanins from red cabbage or betalains from beets. This project covers techniques like solvent extraction, filtration, and chromatography. Students can also explore the pH sensitivity of these dyes by adding acids or bases, observing color changes, and learning about acid-base equilibria and indicator properties.
7. Photochemistry with UV-Active Compounds
This project introduces students to the field of photochemistry by exploring reactions that require ultraviolet (UV) light. For example, students can create a reaction between benzoin and sodium borohydride, producing a UV-active compound. They can explore the photochemical properties of the compound using UV light, studying how light energy drives chemical reactions. This project covers topics like energy states, absorption spectra, and photochemical mechanisms.
8. Catalysis in Organic Synthesis
Students can explore the role of catalysts in organic synthesis by conducting reactions with and without various catalysts. For example, they can compare the efficiency of esterification reactions catalyzed by acidic or basic catalysts, observing how the reaction rate and yield differ. This project covers topics like activation energy, transition states, and catalysis mechanisms. Students can also explore the importance of catalysts in green chemistry by reducing reaction times and energy consumption.
9. Chemical Kinetics Study
This project delves into the kinetics of chemical reactions, allowing students to explore reaction rates and the factors influencing them. For example, they can study the rate of iodine clock reactions under different temperatures or concentrations, observing how each factor affects reaction speed. This project covers essential topics like rate laws, activation energy, and Arrhenius equations. Students can graph their results, learning how to interpret data and derive kinetic parameters.
10. Metal-Organic Frameworks
Students can explore the field of materials chemistry by synthesizing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These porous structures are formed from metal ions and organic linkers, offering high surface areas for gas adsorption or catalysis. This project introduces students to coordination chemistry and explores how different metal-linker combinations yield varied MOF structures. Students can also investigate the potential applications of MOFs in gas storage, separations, or catalysis, bridging the gap between chemistry and material science.
Final Thoughts
Chemistry is a wide field with plenty of room for new research. Pick one of these projects, follow the science where it leads, and you will build the skills to take a question of your own all the way to a competition.
If you want help getting started, take a look at Rishab’s free STEM student guide. It covers planning and running a research project, presenting your results, and finding opportunities in STEM, from a student who took his own project to the ISEF grand awards.
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