If you’ve ever taught an advanced life science course, you’ve probably had that moment where you realize the students are missing the foundational chemistry concepts necessary to understand the topic. While it’s helpful for students to complete a full chemistry curriculum before tackling advanced life science courses, that’s often not feasible. Many enter Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, or Environmental Science with limited chemistry background, making it essential for teachers to bridge those gaps.

So let’s talk about where chemistry shows up in these courses and how we can hit some of the basics to make those connections easier. For each course, we’ve listed the key chemistry concepts and how they are applied within an advanced life science course. Teaching tips are then included to help you find lessons that can provide this critical chemistry foundation for your students!

Biology: The Molecular Machinery of Life

Beneath every cell, enzyme, and heartbeat in a living organism lies basic chemical foundations. From the polarity of water to the shape of macromolecules, students need a solid grasp of chemical principles to truly understand how life works.

Key Chemistry Concepts:

• Atomic Structure & Bonding
  • Electrons, protons, and neutrons
  • Covalent v. ionic bonds
  • Hydrogen bonding & polarity of water
• Macromolecules
  • Structure and function of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
• Enzymes & Reactions
  • Activation energy, catalysts, and the effects of temperature/pH on enzymes
  • Synthesis and decomposition reactions

Teaching Tips: Build models of macromolecules using simple objects or manipulate the function of enzymes through temperature and pH changes (lab shown below).

Anatomy & Physiology: The Chemistry of the Human Body

Physiology is basically applied biochemistry. Students might not realize it, but when they’re learning about nerve impulses or muscle contractions, they’re really diving into ion movement and chemical gradients. Electrolytes like sodium and potassium aren’t just buzzwords; they’re the reason your heart beats and your brain thinks.

Key Chemistry Concepts:

• Acids, Bases, and pH
  • Blood pH regulation, acidosis
  • Bicarbonate buffer system
• Composition of salts
  • Function of electrolytes in nerve conductivity and muscle contraction
• Properties of Molecules
  • Polarity of cell membranes
  • Solvation of nutrients and ions
  • Transport of molecules through osmosis
  • Cellular specificity & drug interactions based on 3-D structure of molecules

Teaching Tips: Use patient case studies to examine electrolyte disorders or manipulate the environment around de-shelled eggs to model osmosis (lab shown below).

Environmental Science: The Movement of Molecules Through Ecosystems

The natural relationships of the environment and the human interactions that affect them often are chemical at their core. Behind the breakdown of pollutants, the cycling of nutrients, and the composition of greenhouse gases, is chemistry helping students decode the invisible forces shaping ecosystems and climate. It’s the lens by which we understand the molecular side of sustainability.

Key Chemistry Concepts:

• Elements & Compounds
  • Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous cycles
  • Role of chemical reactions in decomposition and nutrient flow
• Solubility and pH
  • Pollutant mobility in an aquatic ecosystem
  • Effects of acid rain
• Chemical Reactions
  • Combustion within fuel plants
  • Equations for greenhouse gas production

Teaching Tips: Show the movement and varying forms of nutrients through a chemical cycle board game or learn how carbon dioxide can change the pH of oceans with this bromothymol blue demonstration.

Chemistry is the common language across these disciplines. By reinforcing foundational chemistry concepts early and revisting them often, you can help students to see the interconnectedness of science.