04. Information Search

Coordinator: Dr. Christopher DeSantis

Plastics and perfluoroalkyoxy alkanes (PFA’s) have revolutionized how we live our lives since the beginning of their mass production and usage.  Plastics have made materials that are cheap to produce, have ideal physical properties for various uses, and they can easily be modified to suit many needs by changing their chemical composition.  However, due to their chemical structure, they are not easily broken down by natural processes.  Their resilience to natural degradation and human kinds inability to recycle them effectively has caused them to build up in our environment, in the food we eat, and even in our bodies.  This in turn has lead to several health related issues for not only humans, but the organisms in the environment we all share.  This year’s Information Search event gives you a chance to investigate the structures of several chemicals that are used in the production of plastics and PFA’s. 

Teams will construct one of the following monomers for plastic polymers: 

4,4′-Methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) (CAS No. 101-68-8) 

Bisphenol A (CAS No. 80-05-7) 

Dimethyl terephthalate (CAS No. 120-61-6) 

4-Aminophenyl sulfone (CAS No. 80-08-0) 

Event Specific Requirements: 

A team of 2 or 3 students must compete in this event.  

Schools with two teams MUST select different molecules to research and present.  The two teams MUST compete in the same time slot. 

BEFORE the day of the event, the team will select one of the molecules and make a molecular model according to this year’s guidelines. 

The team should be prepared to use the Internet to answer general knowledge questions about all the molecules in the Information Search portion of the event.  

The Information Search portion of the event is to be completed in 25 minutes ON THE DAY OF COMPETITION. 

The team should be prepared to answer two oral questions about their molecule.   

Question #1 will focus on molecular geometry (such as chirality, identifying co-planar atoms, hybridization, bond lengths and angles). 

 Question #2 will focus on the relationship between structure and function.  Note: Students are not expected to know specific proprietary information about the compounds.  However, students should understand the importance and role of different functional groups. 

Model: The molecular model should be made using painted Styrofoam balls (3” maximum) for atoms and wooden skewers for bonds.  Besides glue, no other materials are permitted!  COLOR CODE:  Use black for carbon, white for hydrogen, red for oxygen, blue for nitrogen, green for chlorine, yellow for sulfur and orange for fluorine.  Points will be awarded both for technical correctness and design elegance. Your model will be judged as to how accurately it represents the molecule’s structure.  The team must provide a key that includes information about atoms (key to atomic representations) bond angles, bond lengths and hybridization in the molecule. 

Event Day Information: 

On Event Day one team member should have a physical model prepared for judging.  During the allocated session, each team will participate in the "Internet Search" and "Molecule Questioning" portions of the event. 

Teams will be asked six Information Search questions.  In order to provide written answers to the six questions.  At the completion of the scheduled session, each team must turn in their written answers to the questions.  

Students may consult the List of Suggested Databases that has been developed for this event. 

On the day of the competition, student teams will be asked two questions about their model.  Teams will orally respond to the questions in order to demonstrate their knowledge and clarify their reasoning.  Student responses should not exceed 3 minutes.  Students may also be asked points of clarification if there is any confusion about their model. 

Scoring Rubric: