(2019) Integrating the molecular basis of sustainability into general chemistry through systems thinking

Peter G. Mahaffy, Stephen A. Matlin, J. Marc Whalen, and Thomas A. Holme, 

Journal of Chemical Education,2019, 96 (12), 2730-2741, 

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00390, 

This article highlights the important role that chemistry has in sustainability science given the primary activities of chemistry are to analyze, synthesize, and transform matter. Using the example of the Haber-Bosch process for the synthesis of ammonia, this article connects industrial processes with scientific, societal, and environmental systems, exemplifying the ways systems thinking can be integrated in chemistry curriculum. Lastly, this article suggests approaches for general chemistry instructors to use systems thinking in the context of the molecular basis of sustainability.