The chemistry of sleep
| National Curriculum links (Key Stage
4 double science) |
Sc1
1c |
... ways in which scientific work may
be affected by the contexts in which it takes place and how these
contexts may affect whether or not these ideas are accepted |
Sc3
3h |
... the properties, reactions and uses
of the halogens |
Resources
Ethanol – the earliest
anaesthetic? gives students a brief introduction into the development
of surgery until the barber surgeons, and the limitations imposed by
operating on patients with only ethanol (in the form of spirits like
brandy) as anaesthetic/pain relief.
The arrival of effective
anaesthetics introduces students to the competing claims over the
discovery of ether as an anaesthetic, and provides information about
three other anaesthetics discovered in the 1840s.
Modern anaesthetics
focuses on three modern anaesthetics – enflurane, isoflurane
and halothane. It emphasises the role of chemists in
the development of anaesthetics, and the role of halogen atoms and the
strength of the carbon-fluorine bond in producing a good, safe anaesthetic.
Activities
| Activity
1 |
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- Questions about the molecular structures of anaesthetic molecules.
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| Activity
2 |
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- Questions about the physical properties of anaesthetics.
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| Activity
3 |
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- Students are asked to put themselves in the shoes of William
Morton, one of the pioneers of the use of ether in dental surgery.
They should EITHER write a short article for the press explaining
the exciting new treatment and all its potential OR produce
a poster for the press and the dentist’s surgery. You
may choose to give students a free choice or direct them to
one or other activity. The aim is to encourage them to recognise
the enormous step forward that surgery with effective anaesthetic
presented. Look for evidence that they recognise the hopes and
fears that a "chemical sleep" would arouse in ordinary
people – and how Morton might try to assuage those fears.
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