What’s in That Medicine: An Inquiry-Based Activity to Introduce Medicinally Active Natural Products and Metals

Common over-the-counter medicines can be an exciting entry point for introducing students to the interesting chemistries that they encounter in their daily lives. In this inquiry-based activity, students are tasked with using a list of given supplies and information about four medications (Aspirin, Tums, Pepto-Bismol, and Tylenol) to design three experiments that will enable them to identify which mystery substance is which medication. This activity introduces students to several chemical concepts, including acid–base reactions, redox reactions, and chelation. Overall, comparing results of pre- and post-activity assessments, students learned about and became more confident in their knowledge of how natural products and metals can be used in medicine and were able to correctly identify their unknown medications. Additionally, a procedure-based activity for extracting bismuth from Pepto-Bismol is included.