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Exploring Intermolecular Forces Through Food
A scientific exploration of a bacon (or avocado for non-bacon-eaters), egg, and cheese sandwich as delicious examples of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates.
We will deconstruct the base components of a famous NYC breakfast sandwich — the bacon, egg, and cheese, or BEC — from a biochemical perspective, exploring the three nutritional macromolecules: lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates, as well as where nucleic acids fit in. We will couple these discussion with hands-on experiments and demonstrations that highlight the specific biochemical nature of each ingredient.
Learn About Intermolecular Forces
Topic:
Physical Science,
Chemical Reactions
Content Type:
Article
Review the fundamentals types of bonds and intermolecular forces (IMFs)
Topic:
Chemical Reactions,
Biochemistry
Content Type:
Article
Molecular bonds define protein structure and function.
Topic:
Physical Science,
Life Science,
Chemical Reactions
Learn about the bonds that determine the structure and function of nucleic acids
Topic:
Chemical Reactions,
Biochemistry
Content Type:
Article
Learn about the bonds that determine the structure and function of carbohydrates
Topic:
Chemical Reactions,
Biochemistry
Content Type:
Article
Learn about the bonds that determine the structure and function of lipids
Experiment with Intermolecular Forces
Topic:
Life Science,
Chemical Reactions,
Biochemistry
Use eggs to show how acid can disrupt intermolecular forces and denature proteins, just as cooking would
Topic:
Life Science,
Chemical Reactions,
Biochemistry
Study properties of the gluten protein and the effects of its intermolecular interactions at the macroscopic scale
Extract lipids from common food sources such as an avocado, eggs, and mayonnaise
Separate and identify the types of lipids in foods based on the relative polarity of the lipid species