The Chemistry of Perfume" is a lab-only course for nonscience majors. Students learn fundamental concepts of chemistry through the context of fragrance, a pervasive aspect of daily life. The course consists of laboratories pertaining to five units: introduction, extraction, synthesis, characterization, and application. The introduction unit acquaints students with basic perfume terminology and the idea that chemical structure relates to scent. The extraction unit focuses on capturing and isolating fragrant essences from natural materials, whereas the synthetic unit considers mimicking such scents through chemical reactions. In the characterization unit, students analyze the components of perfume and fragrant materials. The course ends with the application unit in which students incorporate their fragrances into consumer products and toiletries. Curriculum structure, content, and student feedback are described. This perfume lab course results from an effort to increase interest in chemistry among nonscience students and encourage interdisciplinary learning.
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