Chemistry Investigation - Need a Controversial Topic

[Coupe]

Alright so like previously in Physics, it's the same thing for chemistry.

Except this time, I'm completely dumbfounded, I need a good controversial topic that I can relate to chemistry fairly easily.

And I don't want something that's too common and have obviously been picked already (I am one of the last to pick my topic still) I don't want things like ozone, or something to do with atmosphere or greenhouse gases/emission or carbon or nitrogen, something along those lines.

I want something that is very relevant to our current era yet something that is uncommon. Please help me thanks!

 

[Hamouze]

The first thing that comes to mind is the chemistry of drugs. All the common drugs you see in our current era (marijuana, cocaine, heroin, other methamphetamines, etc.) cause pretty insane effects on the body and give the user a form of "high". You can explain how certain chemicals and compounds effect the human body in different ways and why they cause users to enjoy them (also mention the bad side effects of the hard drugs and that they kill people so it doesn't seem like you are supporting the use of drugs lol).

The other thing that comes to mind is the chemistry of love. Love is scientifically accepted to be a combination of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone). I'm assuming this is for a class as you say you are the last to pick your topic implying others will be presenting or submitting a similar assignment. It's always cool to see different people's reactions when you explain to them that love is really just chemicals.

 

[Valstone]

A few things come to mind here, but I don't have an entirely lengthy amount of time to write a reply. I'm soon to be a bio-major - haven't taken a whole plethora of Chemistry but I have taken some Chem. A few more calc classes for me before organic chem...

Relevant to any era (but more specifically to our current era, with the concept of 3D organ printing being on the rise) is the simple question/topic ~ Are we really anything more than just the sum of our parts? I think that many would be surprised how quickly you could break down the human being into chemicals and how little you would have to take away to completely strip us of our identity.

Would it ever be ethically acceptable to 3D print a damaged constituent of someone's brain if they had heavy brain damage, would that replace their original "identity"? How many of the parts of a human could we replace if need be before running into ethical barriers? ... all boils down to if we are truly more than the sum of our parts, is there anything more to humans than the chemicals that they are composed of, etc...

Another topic that would be controversial relating to chemistry is how to deal with heroin outbreak, there is a drug called narcan, which reverses the affects which an opioid overdose instills. It is not uncommon that ER doctors must use this to revive opioid users who have OD'd. Many of these opioid users are chronic ones, and keep finding themselves back in the ER after subsequent overdoses and refuse to take any form of treatment or prescription to help them cut back on their opioid usage. Narcan is used to "wake them up" and upon their awakening they are usually offered other forms of treatment.

Many of them refuse medication and treatment to help them deal with their addiction and the deterioration of their body. Many of these opioid users are also endangering the lives of others inadvertently and despite knowledge of this continue to do so. Should there be laws for enforcing opioid addict patients to comply with treatment and so that they cannot any longer endanger the lives of others via their highs?