USING MOVIES TO HELP TEACH CHEMISTRY

Elmer-Rico E. MojicaInstitute of Chemistry

University of the Philippines Los Baños

MORTAL STORM (1940)

RBC separation experiment

physical composition of blood

difficulty in breathing in climbing mountain

THE SHOPWORN ANGEL (1938)

sugar

DR EHRLICHS MAGIC BULLET (1940)

syphilis

SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940)

bicarbonate soda

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

‘taste test’

plastic from soybean

IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING (1949)

wood bat repelling compound

THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT (1951)

inventor creates an indestructible fabric that never gets dirty or wears old

DR NO (1962)

cyanide in cigarette bauxite mine in Crab Key Island use of Geiger counter radioactivity

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)

chloral hydrate

Cl

CCl

Cl

C H

O

GOLDFINGER (1964)

irradiation of gold by cobalt-iodine atomic device

gold stacked in Fort Knox

THUNDERBALL (1965)

waterproof watch acting as a Geiger counter

underwater camera with an infra-red film

"harmless" radioactive pill underwater

rebreather that provides about 4 minutes of air.

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967)

phosgene

monosodium glutamate

ascorbic acid

THE GRADUATE (1967)

plastics

LIVE AND LET DIE (1972)

cyanide pill

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (1974)

absolute zero

FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE (1978)

penicillin

THE SPY WHO LOVD ME (1977)

cigarette that emits a knock out gas

MOONRAKER (1979)

nerve gas

glass industry

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981)

mixture of helium and oxygen as a breathing gas for divers

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)

gold statue

OCTOPUSSY (1983)

a Mont-Blanc fountain pen that dispenses a mix of nitric and hyrdrochloric acid that dissolves all metals

A VIEW TO A KILL (1985)

microchip controlled steroids

silicon from sand

INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984)

poison

GOONIES (1985)

bullet shot igniting gasoline

LIVING DAYLIGHTS (1987)

milk exploding bottles

ring key emitting stun gas

YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES (1986)

root extracts causing hallucination

paraffin

DIE HARD 2 (1990)

flammability of liquid jet fuel trail

INDIANA JONES AND THE LEAST CRUSADE (1989)

petroleum

hot air balloon

LICENSE TO KILL (1989)

genetically engineered fish

technique for dissolving cocaine in petroleum

AWAKENINGS (1990)

extraction of myelin from earthworm

encephalitis

L-DOPA

effect of acid in orange juice on action of L-DOPA

periodic table

TERMINATOR 2 (1991)

liquid nitrogen

FOREVER YOUNG (1992)

cryogenics

MEDICINE MAN (1992)

gas chromatograph

PELICAN BRIEF (1993)

DDT

LORENZO’S OIL (1993)

adrenoleukodystrophy

VLCSFA (very long saturated fatty acids)

competitive inhibition

oleic acid and erucic acid

fractional distillationLEGENDS OF THE FALL (1994)

poisonous gas

STARGATE (1994)

carbon dating

JURASSIC PARK (1993)

genetic engineering

lysine deficient

liquid nitrogen

DIE HARD: WITH A VENGEANCE (1995)

gold weight

JOHNNY MNEMONIC (1995)

silicon chip

cryogenics

BLOWN AWAY (1994)

mercury

WATERWORLD (1995)

distillation apparatus to change urine to drinkable water

JUDGE DREDD (1995)

bullet tag with DNA

CONGO (1995)

diamond in communication technology

THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1996)

benadril

testosterone serum reducing body fat formulation:

20% PEG, 20% SSPE, 20% SDS, 40% dH2OPEG - polyethylene glycolSSPE - subacute sclerosing panencephalitisSDS - sodium dodecyl sulfate

ERASER (1996)

magnetic aluminum

H3C

CH

H3C

O P F

CH3

O

THE ROCK (1996)

VX nerve gas (sarin)

atropine

CHH2C C

O

O

NCH3

OH

ATROPINE

THE FIFTH ELEMENT (1997)

-5000 degrees

CHAIN REACTION (1996)

Sonoluminescence

THE FULL MONTY (1997)

acetylene welding.

GATTACA (1997)

DNA sensors for blood, saliva and urine

BATMAN AND ROBIN (1997)

chlorophyll

diamond as thermal conductors

THE SAINT (1997)

cold fusion

DANTE’S PEAK (1997)

acidity of lake water (pH= 3.48)

enough CO2 coming from the soil

smell like sulfur

sulfur dioxide

metal boat reacting with acidic lake waterTHE LOST WORLD (1997)

neurotoxin

DESPERATE MEASURES (1998)

liquid propane

LETHAL WEAPON 4 (1998)

laughing gas

BLADE (1998)

EDTA

GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997)

NMR spectrum

TRUE CRIME (1999)

sodium thiopental

pancuronium bromide

potassium chloride

N

NO

O

S

Na+

-

N

O

N

O

O

O

Br

Br

pancuronium bromide

O OH

N

HO

MORPHINE

JURASSIC PARK (1993)

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

FIGHT CLUB (1999)

saponification of soap

lye

nitroglycerine

THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)

pesticide poisoning

PHANTOM MENACE (1999)

dioxygen gas

"midichlorians"

GALAXY QUEST (1999)

beryllium sphere

THE MUMMY (1999)

acid salt

SLEEPY HALLOW (1999)

forensic chemistry

THE INSIDER (1999)

nicotine

ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000)

hexavalent chromium

WHAT LIES BENEATH (2000)

halothane

6TH DAY (2000)

cloning

liquid oxygen

CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)

GLADIATOR (2000)

poison

THE WHOLE NINE YARDS (2000)

HCl fumes

HOLLOW MAN (2000)

nitroglycerine