1. Gummy Worms
Ms. Melander

2. What natural resources are used?
Limestone  calcium chloride
Brown seaweed  sodium alginate
Seaweed is cut, then mixed with water to become a thick gel. It is diluted, filtered, and evaporated to a powder.
Limestone is mined. It is reacted with hydrochloric acid or sodium chloride to make calcium chloride.

3. How is it made?
Can you identify one or more molecules involved in making the product?
Do one or more chemical reactions take place?
Are substances heated?
Are substances put under pressure?
Is special machinery used?
Has the method changed over the years?
YOU DO NOT NEED TO ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS, BUT TRY TO FIND AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE!
Do not leave this slide here! I have left it here to show you what I used as a guide.

4. How are gel worms made? Sodium alginate polymer
Positive charge on the sodium ion
A positive charge bonds with a negative charge

5. Sodium alginate is crosslinked
Calcium ions have 2 positive charges
Calcium ions bond to 2 sodium alginate molecules, crosslinking chains
Many crosslinking connections make the sodium alginate thicken to become a gel

6. Compare with natural product
What are the negative and positive impacts to society of making and using the synthetic product, compared to making and using a more natural product with a similar function?
Consider the following questions:
Are the natural resources used renewable or nonrenewable?
What are the impacts of:
Harvesting, mining, or collecting the natural resources?
Processing the natural resources before using them to make the final product?
Producing the final product?
What are the positive impacts to society of using the final product?
Do not leave this slide here! I have left it here to show you what I used as a guide.

7. Compare with natural product
Renewable and Nonrenewable  Natural Resources Used to Make Each Snack
Main ingredient(s)
Natural resources used to make each
Renewable?  Why or why not?
Gel worm
Sodium alginate
Brown Seaweed
Renewable, because seaweed reproduces within a few years.
Calcium chloride
Limestone
Not renewable, because limestone is a rock that took millions of years to form.
Fresh fruit slices
Fruit
Fruit tree, water, and soil nutrients
Renewable, because new trees can be planted, rain provides water, and good farming practices can replenish soil nutrients.

8. Impacts: Synthetic Gel Worms
Sodium alginate
Harvested from oceans – home and food to ocean creatures
May affect other organisms in ecosystem
Processing seaweed into sodium alginate takes energy, produces waste
Calcium Chloride
Limestone requires mining – uses energy and pollutes
Processing produces waste which requires control
Producing gel worms
Mass production in factory takes equipment and uses energy
Positive Impacts
They are yummy to eat!

9. Impacts: Real Fruit Slices
Grow and maintain fruit trees
Prepare land using large equipment – uses energy, adds pollution
Uses fertilizers and water for the trees
Some fertilizers can pollute if they get into lakes and rivers
In some areas, water might be a limited resource
Use of pesticides can be a pollutant
Harvesting and slicing the fruit
Hand-picking doesn’t pollute, machine harvest uses energy & adds pollution
Cutting fruit into pieces may be done by machine – uses energy, adds pollution
Positive Impacts
Sliced fruit is tasty!
Fresh fruit contains vitamins and nutrients essential for good health

10. Conclusion
Real fruit is probably healthier and might have fewer negative impacts.
If synthetic fruit snacks could be made with vitamins, other nutrients, and not too much sugar, they might be a possible alternative to real fruit slices.

11. References
Use EasyBib to create your MLA citations here (Don’t leave instructions behind. Again, this is here to show you how I made what follows.)
"Natural Resources & Synthetic Materials." Middle School Chemistry. N.p., n.d. Web Sept