Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy 32 (2023) 101018

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Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scp

Connecting the periodic table to the planet with systems, life cycle
and circularity thinking
Kyla Bruce a, b, Kyle M.D. Reyes a, Shegufta Shetranjiwalla a, c, *
aChemistry Department, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 0G2, Canada
bInstitute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
cSchool of Science and the Environment, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Grenfell Campus, 20 University Drive, Corner Brook, Newfoundland and
Labrador, A2H 5G4, Canada

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Handling Editor: Klaus Kümmerer Reductionist methods of learning and teaching chemistry have indeed advanced the disciplinary
knowledge. However, they have proven deficient in connecting the chemical reactions of ele-
Keywords:
ments in the periodic table with the significant impacts they have on planetary and societal sys-
Systems thinking in chemistry
tems. Therefore, a systems thinking approach is required that integrates an interdisciplinary and
Systems oriented concept map extension
(SOCME) diagrams
complementary understanding of chemical concepts. Systems Oriented Concept Map Extensions
Life cycle and circular thinking (SOCME)s are an effective tool to connect interdisciplinary subsystems to the larger planetary
Green chemistry boundaries and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). We present a
Periodic table elements course activity where undergraduate students of an introductory green chemistry and sustainable
UN SDGs synthesis course selected an element from the periodic table and a simple chemical reaction in-
volving that element, to develop a SOCME. Students applied green chemistry principles, life cycle
thinking and circular economy concepts to the various subsystems in their SOCME. Students also
recommended an alternative greener subsystem based on their integrated understanding and re-
search from primary literature. They connected the impacts from the subsystems of the element/
reaction and the alternative greener reaction to the earth, health, economy, and society to ad-
dress global challenges represented by the UN SDGs. They effectively communicated the science
in their SOCME poster through a video presentation in a virtual format. Student survey data indi-
cated that the systems, life cycle and circularity thinking connected to the UN SDGs, improved
their knowledge of the wider impacts of chemistry in the world. It also increased their awareness
of the role of chemists in promoting environmental and social justice.

1. Introduction
Chemistry has greatly advanced the fundamental knowledge relating to the natural world and technology; however, the chemical
industry severely burdens the environment and human health (Tickner et al., 2021). Behind every ounce of invaluable plastic or phar-
maceutical, there hides a mountain of solvent, electricity, heavy metal and their combined fossil fuel emissions. Notably, the chemical
industry is the third-largest industrial source of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, with energy consumption rates being
amongst the highest in industry (McGlade et al., 2014). Historically, it has adopted an environmental pollution clean-up rather than a
proactive-prevention approach. Recently, however, sustainable development has become an overarching priority for many industries,

* Corresponding author. School of Science and the Environment, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Grenfell Campus, 20 University Drive, Corner Brook,

Newfoundland and Labrador, A2H 5G4, Canada.

E-mail address: sshetranjiwalla@grenfell.mun.ca (S. Shetranjiwalla).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2023.101018
Received 6 September 2022; Received in revised form 27 November 2022; Accepted 28 January 2023
Available online 6 February 2023
2352-5541/© 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
K. Bruce et al. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy 32 (2023) 101018

governments, and universities (McGlade et al., 2014). Efforts across these disciplines have created a structured understanding of sus-
tainability, that aim to integrate perspectives across the social and natural sciences, engineering, and policy (Talanquer, 2018). In
2015, the United Nations created the Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) (UN, 2015). These 17 goals and 169 targets aim to
provide access to clean water/sanitation, affordable and sustainable energy, stop climate change, improve health and well-being, pro-
vide quality education and solve many other dire challenges facing society by 2030 (Wiek et al., 2011). Despite the diversity of these
goals, the global challenges they represent are also interconnected and require consideration as more than distinct issues. Thus, to
achieve the UN SDGs, a holistic way of thinking must be adopted for effective human and planet-centred solutions, including develop-
ing our chemistry curriculum that enables students to become sustainable decision-makers.
Systems thinking is an approach for examining and addressing complex behaviours and phenomena of related components that
work together to perform a function from a more holistic perspective. This contrasts with the understanding gained from analysing
only constituent components using the reductionist approach (Orgill et al., 2019). Though predicting the behaviour of a system is a
central idea of chemistry (Talanquer, 2018), other aspects of systems thinking may be less intuitive. In addition, systems thinking re-
quires thinking across spatial and temporal scales and interdisciplinary domains (Wiek et al., 2011). Thus, to develop the next genera-
tion of effective sustainability decision makers, the chemistry curriculum requires a radical transformation (Mahaffy et al., 2018;
Orgill et al., 2019). In fact, the US National Science Foundation has awarded over $25.8 million in funding toward numerous STEM
education grants focused on implementing systems thinking in science education (York et al., 2019). While these projects have heav-
ily focused on discovering the best-suited methods for students to acquire systems thinking skills, efforts, training and incentive for
educators to implement systems thinking into the chemistry curriculum are still in their infancy (Jackson and Hurst 2021).
In alignment with the IUPAC Systems Thinking in Chemical Education (STICE) project, the systems thinking approach has gained
momentum in the chemistry curriculum (Orgill et al., 2019; Constable et al., 2019), including in chemical laboratory instruction and
evaluation (Wu et al., 2019; Mooney et al. 2020 and Shetranjiwalla et al., 2021) and in teaching frameworks (Fisher, 2019; Mahaffy
et al., 2019a,b; Michalopoulou et al., 2019). Tools that integrate systems thinking into the current framework of chemistry education
have been introduced (York and Orgill, 2020). However, determining which tools are best suited to accurately demonstrate the com-
plexity of a given system, the constituent subunits and their lucid application remains a significant challenge (Talanquer, 2019).
One graphical tool used to assist students in thinking about the interconnected relationships of chemical processes from a systems
perspective is a systems-oriented concept map extension (SOCME) (Mahaffy et al., 2018). The SOCME can map a core reaction and its
interconnections with other reaction subsystems, such as chemical and energy inputs required to generate the desired product. It can
also show connections between the intended and unintended consequences emerging from the reaction. For example, it can show
connections to by-products or solvent waste, and their health, environmental, societal, and economic impacts (Aubrecht et al., 2019).
While the SOCME serves as a visualization tool to highlight the interconnections between a reaction's inputs, outputs, and thermody-
namic interactions, its ability to connect the chemical reaction to its environmental and societal implications remains underexplored.
Interestingly, the unintended consequences for components of a chemical reaction at the elemental level, such as the abundance and
mining of precious metals used in catalysis and energy consumption of fossil-derived carbon using a life-cycle approach, have not yet
been explored.
Here, we report the implementation of systems thinking in a SOCME using an integrated life cycle and circularity thinking ap-
proach. Students developed an elemental understanding of sustainability by connecting an element of their choice from the periodic
table with its use in a chemical reaction to its wider impacts on the world. Students applied a cradle-to-cradle approach, from the ex-
traction of the element to its recycling and reuse, evaluating global environmental, economic, health and social challenges to connect
them to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Table 1). Students also integrated the 12 green chemistry principles
(Anastas and Warner, 1998) (Table 2) and primary literature research with systems thinking to recommend a greener alternative sub-
system in their SOCME. Through this exercise they engaged as stakeholders in making informed, sustainable and equitable chemical
decisions.

Table 1
The 17 United Nations sustainable development goals (UN SDGs) (UN, 2015).

1: No Poverty

2: Zero Hunger
3: Good health and well-being
4: Quality education
5: Gender equality
6: Clean water and sanitation
7: Affordable and clean energy
8: Decent work and economic growth
9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
10: Reduced inequalities
11: Sustainable cities and communities
12: Responsible consumption and production
13: Climate action
14: Life below water
15: Life on land
16: Peace, justice, and strong institutions
17: Partnership for the goals

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K. Bruce et al. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy 32 (2023) 101018

Table 2
The 12 green chemistry principles (Anastas and Warner, 1998).

1: Prevention

2: Atom economy
3: Less hazardous chemical syntheses
4: Designing safer chemicals
5: Safer solvents and auxiliaries
6: Design for energy efficient
7: Use of renewable feedstocks
8: Reduce derivatives
9: Catalysis
10: Design for degradation
11: Real-time analysis for pollution prevention
12: Inherently safer chemistry for accident prevention

2. Methods
This course activity was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, fourth-year undergraduate students enrolled in an introduc-
tory green chemistry course at Trent University were asked to choose an element from the periodic table and a simple chemical reac-
tion involving that element. As part of the course, students with a prior organic chemistry background were introduced to systems
thinking concepts, such as reinforcing and balancing feedback loops and the interconnections between nodes for emergent thinking
(Mahaffy et al., 2019; Acaroglu, 2017). They were also introduced to the principles of green chemistry, circular economy, and life-
cycle assessment (Mooney et al., 2020) as part of the course. Students were introduced to topics of social responsibility and equity
through facilitated virtual class discussions in course seminars and during one-on-one meetings between students and the course in-
structor. The scope of these discussions was to create awareness of the larger role of the chemist and highlight the bigger picture of so-
cial responsibility, waste- and hazard management. Students were then asked to individually build a SOCME as a virtual poster pre-
sentation using accessible programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint to show the core system and various subsystems that provided in-
puts to the reaction. In class, students were introduced to examples of published SOCMEs (Mahaffy et al., 2019a,b), to showcase how
a core reaction can be broken down into its various subsystems. One example of SOCME (Mahaffy et al., 2019a,b) that was used to il-
lustrate the core reaction system and the various subsystems was ammonia from the Haber-Bosch process and its application as a fer-
tilizer to revolutionize food production. The connection of the production of ammonia to UN SDGs 2 and 3 (Zero Hunger and Good
health and Well-Being) was emphasized. Take-home questions connecting elements in a chemical reaction to their intended and unin-
tended consequences were provided as preparatory questions. Students were also provided with additional resources and links to lit-
erature papers (Aubrecht et al., 2019; Mahaffy et al., 2019a,b; Matlin et al., 2020; Mahaffy et al., 2019) on the use of graphical tools
in chemistry learning on the learning management software. Students were provided with infographics and information on the ex-
traction and recycling of elements of the periodic table during the course (Compound Interest, 2019). Students met with the instructor
virtually for dedicated office hours and by appointment to discuss the choice of an element, reaction or the core, subsystems and vari-
ous boundaries of their SOCME. Multiple iterations of SOCMEs as they were being developed by students were discussed individually
in these meetings. Students were encouraged to research where their element of choice was mined in the world and consider the so-
cio-economic and environmental conditions of the region. They were also encouraged to compare extraction, endangered nature, use
and recycling of these elements with conveniently available statistics for these elements from the US Geological Survey Data reports
freely available online.
Students were provided with a detailed rubric (Supplementary Material 1) to encourage them to design their SOCME poster and
video presentation with the criteria in mind. Students connected the components of the use of the element and the reaction to their
impacts on earth, industry, economy, and society. Reaction subsystems included but were not limited to energy-, mineral- and chemi-
cal input, by-products, mining waste, and unintended consequences from waste on the environment and health. Students then applied
complementary green chemistry principles, basic concepts of life-cycle analysis, and circular economy taught in class to explain the
various subsystems within their SOCME. Using their knowledge of green chemistry and incorporating research from the primary liter-
ature, students recommended changes or suggested an alternative greener reaction subsystem that could reduce overuse and promote
recycling to discourage the over-extraction of elemental resources. Lastly in this phase, students connected their element/reaction
processes and their impacts on the UN SDGs (Table 1).
In the second phase, students were asked to present their SOCME poster via an asynchronous video recording using Zoom, Power-
Point, or Yuja provided and supported by the university. In the presentation, students discussed the dynamic interconnections be-
tween the various subsystems of their element/reaction, the positive impacts and the hazards of the process. Students were chal-
lenged to efficiently communicate their scientific narrative within 5–7-min. They were provided guidance for building the SOCME,
preparing, recording and uploading the presentation. Students were evaluated based on the rubric for the presentation. Students were
provided with individualized voice-recorded feedback on their poster presentation from the instructor.
Students were requested to participate in a brief survey after completing the course to gauge the effectiveness of introducing sys-
tems, life cycle and circular thinking activity using a SOCME in the green chemistry and sustainable synthesis course. All data was col-
lected ethically following Trent University Ethics Board approval (Case (#26553)). Students (n = 8) provided consent to share their
poster and video presentations and to participate in the survey voluntarily and anonymously. The survey was administered virtually
through Google Forms. See Supplementary Material 2 for the survey questions.

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3. Results and discussion

This course activity aimed at introducing an integrated approach to learning systems thinking in undergraduate chemistry, by con-
necting chemical concepts to earth, environment, health, and economy and their wider impacts addressed by the UN SDGs. The aims
of this activity were to (1) introduce systems thinking in chemistry using the SOCME (2) apply green chemistry, life cycle and circular
thinking to elements from the periodic table and their use in chemical reactions to understand the elemental/molecular basis of sus-
tainability, (3) integrate research skills using primary literature in the SOCME and (4) enhance students’ scientific communication
skills.

3.1. Systems, life cycle and circularity thinking in a SOCME

To connect chemistry to systems thinking, students discussed the impacts of various elements from the periodic table used in
chemical reactions using the open and guided discussion format. They also used the chat feature in the remote classroom. For exam-
ple, during the discussion, students considered the endangered nature of elements such as palladium and platinum that are used in
catalysis but make up only less than 0.2% of the earth's crust, have limited supply and are increasingly expensive (Compound Interest,
2019) (Table 3). Students connected the contrasting intensive extraction and poor recycling rates as shown in Table 3 (U.S. Geological
Survey, 2020; Compound Interest, 2019 and World Nuclear Association, 2021), to the UN SDGs (Table 1) for some example elements
of the periodic table to introduce life cycle thinking. They also gained insights into the concept of trade-offs in green and sustainable
chemistry, such as using elements in innovation and functional application versus their negative environmental impacts. For example,
students highlighted elements such as chromium and cadmium, which are commonly used in chemical oxidation reactions such as in
batteries but are toxic (Table 3). Students also connected the intended and unintended consequences of the element's use in a chemi-
cal reaction to its application in industry and the UN SDGs, thereby gaining an appreciation of these elements' abundance, sustainabil-
ity and function (aims 1 and 2).
Students then prepared a SOCME to bring systems, green, life cycle and circular thinking in chemistry together impactfully. Stu-
dents selected an element of their choice from the periodic table and researched a simple chemical reaction from the primary litera-
ture to create a poster of their element/reaction demonstrating the various interconnections within a SOCME. Fig. 1 shows a SOCME
prepared by a student highlighting the importance of elemental copper, particularly in the synthesis of copper oxide from copper ni-
trate and its biomedical and catalytic applications. The student showed the core system in the SOCME representing the traditional
synthesis of copper oxide from copper nitrate, which would typically be the only reaction considered under the reductionist instruc-

Table 3
Extraction, recycling and use of some common elements from the periodic table and their connections to the UN SDGs. Annual production/extraction and recycling
rates are global values except where stated otherwise Values are obtained from U.S Geological Survey, 2020.

Endangered Composition in the Annual production/ Recycling rates (%) Common use Connection to UN
elements earth's crust (%) extraction rate (tonnes) SDGs

At risk due to high extraction

Copper (Cu) 6.0 × 10−5 2.0 × 107 >50 Conduction, electricity, electronics, 7, 9, 11
phone batteries
Palladium (Pd) 5.0 × 10−9 2.1 × 105 >40 Catalyst, H2 storage, automotives, 7, 9, 13
optical devices
Lithium (Li) 2.0 × 10−5 <7.7 × 107 <1 Batteries 7,9,11,12
Nickel (Ni) 8.4 × 10−5 2.7 × 106 52 Microphones and electrical connections 9, 12
in smartphones
At risk from increased use

Rhodium (Rh) 2.0 × 10−10 9.0a Not recycled Catalytic converter for automobiles, 3,9
chiral catalyst
Platinum (Pt) 5.0 × 10−9 1.8 × 105 >40 Catalytic converters, electrodes, 9,11,12
jewellery
Uranium (U) 2.7 × 10−6 6.1 × 106 Spent fuel-stored not Electricity generation 7,9,11
recycled
At risk in the future
Indium (In) 2.1 × 10−7 7.6 × 105 <1 Touch screens, telecommunications 9
networks, 5G
Zinc (Zn) 7.0 × 10−5 13.7 × 107 25 Galvanising, cosmetics, medicine 3,9
Silver (Ag) (7.5 × 10−8) 2.7 × 107 ∼17 Conduction, photograph, antibacterial 3,9
compounds
Toxic Elements
Cadmium (Cd) 1.5 × 10−5 2.5 × 107 Very low from Ni/Cd Batteries, paints 7,9,11
batteries
None from cement
Chromium (VI) 10.2 × 10−3 4.1 × 107 28 Anti-corrosive coatings 9
Lead (Pb) 1.4 × 10−4 1.2 × 107 >50% Car batteries, bullets, old plumbing 9
a USA production value.

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Fig. 1. Student-generated systems-oriented concept map extension diagram for the traditional and green award-winning copper oxide synthesis and their impacts. (For
interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

tion approach. However, in the SOCME, as shown in Fig. 1, the student has integrated the various chemical and energy input subsys-
tem boundaries, building a broader perspective on the systems contributing to the core reaction. Notably, the extraction and mining
waste subsystems are also integrated into the SOCME to inform the life cycle of the element used in the reaction (aims 1 and 2). The
student also connected the manufacturing processes and the products to major intended uses and unintended consequences subsys-
tems that not only add to the significance of the element and the reaction but also call attention to the environmental implications of
the processes and products.
Another significant subsystem that students included in their SOCME was the by-product subsystem. In the traditional approach to
the synthesis of copper oxide, the by-products formed, or waste generated would not be considered important, and the mass-based
metrics would only be applied to the desired product. This SOCME shown in Fig. 1, typical of other student SOCMEs (examples shown
in the Supplementary Material), highlights how students incorporated life cycle and circularity thinking to show connections of the
by-products or waste materials to other subsystems or unintended consequences (aims 1 and 2). Almost all students also presented a
subsystem recommending a greener alternative to the traditional synthesis from literature or industry (aim 3) and highlighted the
various green chemistry principles that could be applied to the reactions (Fig. 1, Table 2). Students critically built on the intended and
unintended impacts of their chosen element/reaction on the environment, industry, economy, society and the global impacts of the
UN SDGs (Table 1). For example, in Fig. 1 the traditional copper oxide synthesis was compared with the synthesis of the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge: 2003 Greener Synthetic Pathway award recipient
(EPA, 2003), as an alternative greener reaction to solid copper oxide catalyst (aim 3). The student highlighted the benefits of the
greener synthesis in producing hydrogen and clean fuel that had virtually zero wastewater or nitrate discharge and minimal nitric ox-
ide (NOx) emissions in the SOCME. Interestingly, the student also used the SOCME to demonstrate statistics to emphasize how each
10 million pounds of copper oxide catalyst produced using the alternative greener synthesis eliminated approximately 760 million
pounds of wastewater discharge, 29 million pounds of nitrate discharge, and 7.6 million pounds of NOx emissions (green chemistry
principle 1, aims 1 and 2). The student successfully highlighted through the SOCME how the greener alternative reaction not only
positively impacted the production of the catalyst, but also demonstrated responsible consumption and production, as well as climate
action directly addressing UN SDGs (aims 2 and 3). All students also used primary literature to provide an in-depth analysis of the var-

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ious intended and unintended outcomes associated with their core reaction (Mahaffy et al., 2019), as seen by the detailed references
shown in the SOCME in Fig. 1 and the example SOCMEs in the Supplemental Material.
Students also used the SOCME to illustrate the complete replacement of an element in a mechanistic process rather than the manu-
facture of a final product using similar core and subsystem boundaries (chemical/energy, element extraction), extended with the
side/by-product and intended/unintended consequence boundaries (Fig. 2). This student SOCME describes the replacement of
rhodium, which is a precious metal that is used as a catalyst in the traditional amination reaction, with a biochemical enzyme
transaminase. The SOCME highlights how students applied green and sustainable chemical design to their graphical representation,
citing innovative processes from the primary literature (aim 3). The student described through the SOCME how the replacement of
the metal catalyst eliminated extraction of the precious metal and promoted design for energy efficiency (green chemistry principle 6)
by introducing enzymatic reactions that can occur at ambient or mild temperatures in safer/aqueous solvents (green chemistry princi-
ple 5, aims 1, 2). Similarly, another student SOCME (presented in the Supplemental Material) described the replacement of the indus-
trially used Castner-Kellner process that uses mercury to produce NaOH, with a process that uses a Nafion membrane and NaCl from
seawater.

3.2. Connecting chemistry to the wider impacts in industry, community and the UN SDGs
By connecting the various intended and unintended consequences emerging from the extraction and use of the element in their se-
lected reaction, the students learned about the wider challenges posed to the environment and other systems from their chemical
processes. Therefore, the connections to the UN SDGs provided a guideline for students to describe the wider global impacts (Table 1,
Figs. 1 and 2) and provide recommendations for sustainable action by suggesting greener chemical alternative reactions. For example,

Fig. 2. Student-generated systems-oriented concept map extension diagram for rhodium-catalysed stereospecific amination reactions.

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the student SOCME in Fig. 1 shows replacing the traditional synthesis of copper oxide with copper oxide catalysts in the azide-alkyne
cycloaddition reaction to generate hydrogen, as a green energy source positively impacted the environment in multiple ways through
connections to multiple UN SDGs. The SOCME showed connections to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 9 (Industry, Innovation,
and Infrastructure), and 11 (Sustainable cities and communities). The production of copper oxide from elemental copper and oxygen
in mild organic acid under ambient conditions decreased the overall production of chemical waste, including wastewater discharge
directly impacting UN SDGs 6 and 3 (Clean Water and Sanitation & Good Health and Well-Being) for local communities and life below
water (UN SDG 14) for local aquatic species. These connections helped students to realize the impact of the switch to their recom-
mended greener alternative reactions on energy use, improvements in the health and safety of people, communities and the environ-
ment during production and after use and the economy. For example in the SOCME in Fig. 1 the student highlights how the green syn-
thesis followed 7 of the 12 green chemistry principles, including, Prevention of Waste, Improved Atom Economy due to all elemental
copper being converted to the copper oxide product, Less Hazardous Chemical Synthesis occurring with chemicals that are more eco-
nomically available and from renewable sources, Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries using mild organic acid instead of harsh nitric acid,
Design for Energy Efficiency and Inherently Safer Chemistry for Accident Prevention with the reaction occurring at ambient tempera-
ture in a single pot.
The student SOCME in Fig. 2 also shows the connections made between the greener enzymatic process, the UN SDGs, green chem-
istry principles and the environmental challenges emerging from use of finite fossil resources and precious metal mining. The student
highlights in the SOCME how the enzymatic process meets the green chemistry principles 3 and 9, Less Hazardous Synthesis and
Catalysis, and is economically more feasible (aim 2) for the synthesis of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) Sitagliptin which
is an anti-diabetic drug (UN SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being). The impact of lowering the reaction temperature below 45 °C and
integrating design for energy efficiency, safer solvents, and inherently safer chemistry for accident prevention (green chemistry prin-
ciples 3, 5, 6 and 12) makes the synthesis beneficial from multiple green chemistry and UN SDG connections. In the SOCME the stu-
dent also highlights the benefits of the biocatalyzed green alternative process as a separate boundary from the use of multipurpose
vessels, avoiding the need for specialized high-pressure hydrogenation equipment, and reducing total manufacturing costs indicating
a well-researched approach from the primary literature. Significantly, through this SOCME, the student makes connections to UN SDG
10 (Reduced Inequalities) with two key components of the reaction. The first is the chiral selectivity of this transaminase reaction
which produces only the desired bioactive isomer of the API. The production of the desired isomer selectively, eliminates the chiral
separation step of mixed isomers reducing costs from solvent use and chemical waste work-up and disposal. Secondly, it eliminates
the costs associated with the mining and production of rhodium and other fossil-based resources to make this vitally important drug
for diabetes treatment more affordable and accessible worldwide. By connecting the consequential subsystems emerging from the stu-
dent's choice of reaction to the UN SDGs and green chemistry principles, the use of the SOCME as a systems thinking tool motivated
students to demonstrate connecting green chemistry, life cycle and circular thinking to promoting fair access and equity through
chemistry (aim 2).

3.3. Communicating science

In their video presentation of their SOCME poster, most students first discussed the core chemical reaction before describing the
various subsystems. Example videos are provided in the Supplemental Material 4 (Link L1 and L2). In the video presentations, stu-
dents translated their complex SOCME diagrams into an accessible scientific narrative that integrated the chemical concepts of the re-
action with the economic, social, health and environmental aspects into a 5–7-min talk. Students described their SOCME poster in
communication that was clear, audible, well-rehearsed, and suitable for the audience using various virtual recording platforms. The
students enrolled in this course were fourth-year students at the cusp of entering professional life after graduation. Therefore, stu-
dents gained key communication skills for academic and commercial settings (aim 4), emerging from the pandemic. Many students
had only attended virtual classes but had never had an opportunity to share their screens. Through the multimedia poster presenta-
tion, students were encouraged to prepare meaningful scientific communication successfully using the ubiquitous platforms in the
current environment. With these presentations, students demonstrated a strong integration of scientific knowledge of their chemical
reactions with interdisciplinary insights. They communicated alternative greener reactions by researching primary literature sources
and recommended innovative green, sustainable and equitable chemistry solutions (aims 3 and 4). Moreover, the 5–7-min time re-
striction challenged students to create a concise and well-researched scientific abstract. Through this exercise, students gained key
translational skills that employers in many sectors highly value for their workforce. For instance, students showcased proficiency in
summarizing and communicating complex data into an interconnected and accessible virtual poster presentation and used primary
literature as a resource to propose alternative approaches to solving complex problems (aims 2, 3 and 4).

3.4. Student feedback

At the end of the course, after the grades had already been submitted, students were provided with survey questions designed to
obtain anonymous feedback on the effectiveness of the SOCME as a tool to introduce integrated systems thinking with life cycle and
circular thinking. The survey questions were broadly designed to gauge students' responses in three major aspects: (i) systems think-
ing connections of chemistry to the UN SDGs, (ii) the effectiveness of the SOCME to connect chemistry to the earth, human & environ-
mental health, economy and societal systems and (iii) application of green chemistry and sustainable synthesis concepts/tools to the
role of chemists in environmental and social responsibility and equity.
The data from the survey indicated that 75% of the students agreed (answering 'definitely yes 'or 'maybe yes') that the use of a
SOCME improved their knowledge, application, and connections to the broader impacts of chemistry (Fig. 3a, ii) indicating that the
SOCME was an effective tool to integrating systems, life cycle and circularity thinking in chemistry. However, it also indicated that

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K. Bruce et al. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy 32 (2023) 101018

Fig. 3. Student survey results (n = 8) for (a) the effectiveness of the SOCME as a tool for elemental/molecular chemical sustainability (b) connecting chemistry to the
UN SDGs, and (c) connecting green chemistry, life cycle and circularity thinking in the SOCME to the role of chemists in environmental and social responsibility and
equity.

the SOCME was not entirely intuitive to all students (25% negative response, Fig. 3a). Therefore, exploring new ways to incorporate
this holistic approach to chemistry learning in the curriculum is imperative. All students (100%) reported affirmatively that connect-
ing UN SDGs re-oriented chemistry education for them to better understand and address the emerging global challenges (aspect i, Fig.
3b). They were able to connect the impact of the element and related chemical reaction to wider environmental, social and economic
impacts such as climate change, ocean acidification, good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, or reduced inequalities
(i and iii). All students also found applying green chemistry and sustainable synthesis concepts to be essential to the role of chemists
in environmental and social responsibility and justice (Fig. 3c, aspect iii). Challenging students to expand the boundaries of the usual
chemical reaction in a SOCME from the core reaction to its associated subsystems, including the element and its extraction, the rec-
ommendation of an alternative greener synthesis and the connections to the UN SDGs encouraged students to develop a more holistic
understanding of the dynamic interactions between complex social, economic, and environmental systems at work in the world (as-
pects i and ii). Together, these results highlight the importance of systems and life cycle thinking in the chemistry curriculum and
point to its potential benefits in guiding students to becoming more conscious and sustainable decision-makers.

4. Conclusion
The present course activity aimed to introduce undergraduate students to the important role chemical elements play as a basis of
sustainability. Students selected an element from the periodic table and a reaction involving that element, to connect to their applica-
tions and their impact on different earth, industry, economy, and societal systems by creating a systems-oriented concept map exten-
sion (SOCME) diagram. The accomplishment of learning outcomes as indicated by the student-generated SOCMEs. These diagrams
demonstrated that students were able to successfully implement integrated systems thinking with applied green chemistry, life cycle
and circularity thinking using the SOCME as an effective tool. Students connected the impacts from the subsystems of the element/re-
action and the alternative greener reaction to other disciplines outside of chemistry such as the earth, health, economy, and society to
address global challenges outlined by the UN SDGs. They developed research skills, referring to primary literature to inform the vari-
ous subsystems in their SOCME. This work helped students to develop enhanced scientific communication skills suitable for the new
workforce after the pandemic through virtual posters and video presentations using online platforms. The survey results indicated
that the students found green chemistry and sustainable concepts/tools important for building awareness of environmental & social
responsibility and justice. This work highlighted the importance of introducing systems thinking teachings/tools to help students con-
textualize and effectively connect the applications and impacts of chemistry to addressing challenges and solving problems locally
and globally, allowing them to become more conscious and sustainable decision-makers.

Author contributions
Kyla Bruce: data curation, formal analysis, writing–original draft. Kyle M.D. Reyes: writing-review and editing, data curation
Shegufta Shetranjiwalla: conceptualization, data curation, investigation, methodology, project administration, supervision, valida-
tion, visualization, and writing – review and editing.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to
influence the work reported in this paper.

Data availability
Data will be made available on request.

8
K. Bruce et al. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy 32 (2023) 101018

Appendix A. Supplementary data

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2023.101018.

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