Context

Amines are one of the main functional groups in Organic Chemistry. They are compounds derived from ammonia (NH3) where one or more hydrogens are replaced by alkyl or aryl radicals. They play a fundamental role in life and in various industries, being common in biologically active compounds such as hormones, neurotransmitters, vitamins, medications, among others.

Amines can be classified according to the number of radicals attached to nitrogen, being primary, secondary, and tertiary. This classification is essential for their nomenclature, something you will be exploring throughout this project.

In biology, amines are everywhere. They are the basis of amino acids, which, in turn, make up proteins, which are vital for life. Additionally, medications like adrenaline and noradrenaline are examples of amines that act as neurotransmitters.

In the industry, amines are used to manufacture all kinds of products, from plastics to dyes. Understanding how amines are named and structured is a skill that will serve you well, not only in your future chemistry studies, but also in related fields such as biology and medicine.

Practical Activity

Activity Title: Amines in Action

Project Objective:

Dive into the world of amines, through the exploration of their nomenclature, structure, and everyday examples. Students will investigate, in groups of 3 to 5 people, examples of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, including the production of a mini-presentation to explain the topic.

Detailed Project Description:

In this project, students will be responsible for exploring the world of amines. Each group will be responsible for selecting a primary, a secondary, and a tertiary amine, explaining their nomenclature and structure, as well as providing examples of where these amines can be found in nature or used in the industry.

Students should delve deep into the nomenclature of these amines, creating schemes on how the amine is named and why. Additionally, they will be responsible for drawing the structure of these amines, explaining how the structure influences their properties.

Groups will also be responsible for exploring everyday examples where these amines can be found or used. This may include products we use every day, food, or medications.

Required Materials:

• Textbook and online reference material.
• Paper, colored pens, markers for creating schemes and drawings.
• Presentation software (Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or similar).
• Computer with internet access for research.

Detailed Step-by-Step for Activity Execution:

Step 1: Divide the class into groups of 3 to 5 students.

Step 2: In each group, students should select a primary, a secondary, and a tertiary amine for study.

Step 3: Students should research and understand the nomenclature of the amines they selected, creating schemes to explain the nomenclature for each one.

Step 4: Next, students should draw the structure of the amines they selected, explaining how the structure influences the properties of the amine.

Step 5: Groups should research examples of where their selected amines can be found in nature or used in the industry. They should prepare a detailed explanation of these examples, including how the structure of the amine influences its application and properties.

Step 6: Each group should prepare a 15 to 20-minute presentation on their selected amines, including the nomenclature, structure, and real-life examples they discovered.

Step 7: Groups should present their research and findings to the class, with time for questions and discussions after each presentation.

Project Deliverables:

Students must deliver a written report and a presentation.

The written report should follow the format mentioned earlier, which has four main topics: Introduction, Development, Conclusions, and Bibliography. In it, students should contextualize amines, discuss their importance, detail the nomenclature and structure of the studied amines, report their application and location in nature or industry, and finally, talk about the conclusions obtained. Additionally, they need to indicate the research sources used.

The presentation should follow the script defined in Step 6 and will be evaluated according to the clarity of the explanation, the correctness of the information presented, and creativity. Audience participation should be encouraged through questions or interactive activities.