Note: Team roles and the number of subject directors are tentative and may change as the season is finalized.

Subject Area Hub

Chemistry & Analytical Lab

Where molecular theory meets hands-on lab discipline. Master qualitative analysis, chemical thermodynamics, kinetics, and structural biochemistry while refining precision measurement and safety habits.

Tentative Leadership: 1 Subject Director

Welcome to Bronx Science Chemistry

Chemistry in Science Olympiad is highly practical and quantitative. Here, you'll go far beyond simple stoichiometry; you'll balance complex redox systems, derive chemical rate laws from raw kinetic datasets, build qualitative decision trees to identify unknown powders in minutes, and analyze the 3D structures of proteins on a molecular scale.

This division emphasizes rigorous laboratory technique, error propagation analysis, and collaborative coordination. Under strict time pressure, partners must divide labor—one running wet chemistry titrations while the other drafts the calculation sheets. Our curriculum aligns perfectly with AP Chemistry and introductory college courses, equipping you with unparalleled lab confidence.

Subject Lead Expectations

  • Be comfortable coordinating with teachers and lab techs to safely manage reagents.
  • Bring strong organizational skills to set up mock qualitative lab stations.
  • Maintain and organize the equipment boxes (goggles, lab aprons, beakers, pipettes).
  • Train members in advanced calculation speed and volumetric precision techniques.

Events & Study Focus

Select tabs within each event card to explore descriptions, topic lists, textbook pathways, and practice links.

Chemistry Lab

Team of 2

Become a master of quantitative chemistry, combining theoretical stoichiometry and advanced thermodynamics or kinetics with high-precision laboratory procedures.

What You'll Learn

  • To perform safe, volumetric-perfect acid-base and redox titrations.
  • How to derive mathematical rate laws and reaction orders from experimental data.
  • The thermodynamic boundaries of ideal and non-ideal gases.
  • To perform rigorous propagation of error calculations on lab results.

Big Questions

How do intermolecular forces drive the deviation of real gases from ideal behavior at high pressures and low temperatures?
How can you linearize kinetic data to mathematically extract the activation energy ($E_a$) of a reaction using the Arrhenius equation?
2025-2026 Focus

Gases & Kinetics

  • Ideal & Real Gases: Ideal gas law calculations, gas stoichiometry, partial pressures (Dalton's Law), effusion (Graham's Law), Van der Waals equations for real gas deviations.
  • Kinetics Basics: Rates of reactions, differential and integrated rate laws for zero, first, and second-order systems.
  • Mechanism Models: Collision theory, reaction profiles (reactants, transition state, products), role of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.
2026-2027 Focus

Reactions, Stoichiometry & Kinetics

  • Chemical Reactions: Classification of reactions, solubility guidelines, predicting products of metathesis (double-replacement) and redox reactions.
  • Advanced Stoichiometry: Limiting reactant math, percent yield, hydration stoichiometry, and analytical solution concentrations (molarity, molality).
  • Quantitative Kinetics: Deriving rate laws from initial rate tables, half-life relationships, temperature dependence, and the Arrhenius equation.

Standard Textbooks

Chemistry

Zumdahl & Zumdahl

Standard General Chemistry
Chemistry: The Central Science

Brown, LeMay, Bursten

Excellent Equilibrium & Kinetics Depth

Related College Courses

General Chemistry I/II Analytical Chemistry Physical Chemistry (Kinetics)
The Organic Chemistry Tutor

Incredible quantitative step-by-step kinetics tutorials
ChemCollective Virtual Labs

Practice volumetric titrations & dilutions online

Forensics

Team of 2

Put your analytical detective skills to the test, identifying unknown chemical powders, analyzing fibers and polymers, and evaluating crime scenes using physical evidence.

What You'll Learn

  • To run systematic qualitative chemistry tests to identify unknown white powders.
  • How to distinguish plastics and fibers using burn, solubility, and density tests.
  • Chromatography analysis, including calculating $R_f$ values.
  • To interpret blood splatter, fingerprint patterns, and glass fractures.

Big Questions

How can you differentiate Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate ($NaHCO_3$) from Sodium Carbonate ($Na_2CO_3$) using simple qualitative lab reagents?
What polymer structural differences allow us to easily separate High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) in a density column?
Qualitative & Chemical ID

Lab Science Topics

  • Powder Identification: Qualitative schemes for common compounds (salt, sugar, cornstarch, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate) using flame tests, pH indicators, iodine, and HCl reactions.
  • Polymers & Plastics: Distinguishing recycling codes 1-6 (PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS) using water, alcohol, and oil density solutions.
  • Chromatography: Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) mechanics, mobile vs. stationary phases, and calculating $R_f$ values.
Physical & Biological Evidence

Criminalistics Topics

  • Microscopic Analysis: Differentiating human vs. animal hair (medulla index) and synthetic vs. natural fibers (cotton, wool, nylon, polyester).
  • Crime Scene Analysis: Evaluating fingerprint minutiae (loops, whorls, arches), blood spatter impact angles, and glass fracture directions (radial vs. concentric).
  • Soil & Glass: Utilizing density columns and refractometry to analyze soil and glass fragments.

Standard Textbooks

Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science

Richard Saferstein

The Crime-Lab Standard
Forensic Science

James, Nordby, Bell

In-Depth Analytical Evidence

Related College Courses

Introduction to Forensics Analytical Chemistry Polymer Chemistry Quantitative Analysis
Crash Course Forensics

Overview of physical and chemical evidence analysis
Forensics Colleges Hub

Comprehensive articles and trace evidence tutorials

Protein Modeling

Team of 2

Explore structural biology, folding proteins physically according to precise scaling rules and using professional computational visualization tools to investigate molecular mechanisms.

What You'll Learn

  • The biochemical structures and folding properties of the 20 amino acids.
  • How hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic collapse organize 3D protein shapes.
  • To navigate the Protein Data Bank (PDB) to download structural coordinate files.
  • To program custom 3D protein visualizations in PyMOL or Jmol.

Big Questions

How does a single point mutation replacing glutamic acid with valine in hemoglobin drive sickling at the molecular level?
What non-covalent forces stabilize alpha-helices compared to beta-pleated sheets? Trace the backbone carbonyl and amide spacing.
Biochemistry Fundamentals

Amino Acids & Folding

  • Amino Acid Chemistry: Memorizing structures, charges, and classification of all 20 standard amino acid R-groups.
  • Levels of Structure: Primary sequences, secondary structures (H-bonds), tertiary folding (hydrophobic effect, salt bridges, disulfide bonds), and quaternary assemblies.
  • Enzyme Mechanics: Active sites, substrate lock-and-key vs. induced fit models, allosteric inhibitors, and enzyme-substrate kinetics.
Molecular Modeling Workflow

Tools & Practical Modeling

  • Protein Data Bank (PDB): Reading PDB files, identifying specific atoms, chains, active ligand sites, and research-specific structures.
  • Physical Modeling: Scaling and folding precise physical protein models using Mini-Toobers, designating key residues, and adding accurate beta-sheet spacing.
  • Software Rendering: Executing commands in PyMOL or Jmol to display ribbon models, color-code residue types, and highlights.

Standard Textbooks

Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry

Nelson & Cox

Standard College Biochemistry

Related College Courses

General Biochemistry Structural Biology Molecular Biophysics
RCSB Protein Data Bank

Official coordinate database of all solved macromolecular structures
MSOE Center for BioMolecular Modeling

Official Science Olympiad event rules, design guides, and tutorials
PyMOL Wiki

Comprehensive guide for molecular script commands and formatting