Special CTI: The teaching of ethics and core values in chemistry

doi:10.1515/ci-2025-0222

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Special CTI

The teaching of ethics and core values in chemistry

Published/Copyright: April 21, 2025

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From the journal Chemistry International Volume 47 Issue 2

Jan Apotheker, editor

Chemistry Teacher International, 2024, Vol.6 Issue 4, Special issue

Chemistry Teacher International is beginning to earn a place within the journals related to chemistry education. The journal offers a platform for both research in chemistry education as well as good practices. As an open-access journal, it tries to involve researchers and teachers from all over the world. As a result, authors from all over the world, including African and Asian countries, have found a platform to publish their articles. CTI now has an impact factor of Clarivate JIF 2.2 and a Scopus Cite score of 3.1. With these scores, CTI ranks well amongst most other journals related to chemistry education.

The publication of special issues focused on a specific subject is one of the ways groups within IUPAC can showcase their educational activities. CHEMRAWN published in June 2024 a special issue in CTI about the problems of E-waste. The Polymer Division did publish a special issue on polymer sciences in June 2021.

Towards the end of December 2024, a special issue (Volume 6 Issue 4) was published focusing on teaching ethics and core values in chemistry education. In Table 1 an overview of the titles of the articles is given.

This special issue salutes the formation of the Committee on Ethics, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CEDEI) within IUPAC. IUPAC has a long-standing cooperation with amongst others, OPCW, about ethics within chemistry, culminating in the publication of the ‘The Hague Ethical Guidelines’ (Husbands & Suárez, 2016) in 2016. IUPAC endorsed them in 2016.

Within the European Union, the concept of ‘Responsible Research and Innovation’ (RRI), which has had an influence both on industry as well as education (von Schomberg, 2013; Mahaffy et al., 2014; Sutcliffe, 2011) was developed. RRI has six focal points, Ethics, Science Education, Gender Equality, Open Access, Governance, and Public Engagement. In Figure 1, the idea of Gender Equality is depicted. These focal points tie in with the activities of the IUPAC Committee on Chemistry Education (CCE). The publication of Chemistry Teacher International as an open-access journal is one of them.

Over the past two decades two developments have influenced the discussion on teaching ethics in chemistry education. Normal part of the curriculum of course is a discussion on academic integrity, normally linked to that a code of academic conduct in research. But ethical issues specifically linked to chemistry have not been a normal part of the curriculum. With the formulation of the principles of green chemistry (Anastas and Eghbali, 2010) sustainability became a focal point in chemistry research and development. Other developments like the ones described above led to the formulation of core values for chemists. chemists (Apotheker, 2023). These core values not only refer to working safely, but also towards sustainable use of substances, as well as the future use of raw materials. Another important aspect is the adherence to prevailing laws and regulations, including the expectations to report infringements to relevant authorities. Within OPCW this led ultimately to the formation of an Advisory Board on Education and Outreach. In this body, the double use of chemicals as well as chemical knowledge has been a topic of discussion. As a result of this discussion several ideas for introduction of the concept of dual use in education were formulated.

Table 1.

Articles in the special issue of Chemistry Teacher International on teaching ethics and core values in chemistry education

Jan Mehlig	Teaching responsible chemistry: a challenge-based learning framework for the implementation of RRI courses in tertiary chemistry education
Leiv Sydnes	A teaching module in research integrity and ethics for university students based on the IUPAC living-code approach
Iwona Maciejowska	Implementation of the course “good chemistry: methodological, ethical and social implications” – a case study
Marina Stojanovska	Integrating ethics and democratic principles in chemistry education: a case study
Ron Blonder	AI for chemistry teaching: responsible AI and ethical considerations
Graciela Gonzalez	From forensic Chemistry: an educational experience
Alastair Hay	Interactive ethics teaching for chemists
Liliana Mammino	Ethics within chemistry education: options, challenges and perspectives
Liu Xinwei	Chemical Ethics: Practices in HEBUST of China
Sebastian Kozuch	Do we Know the Chemical Bond? A Case for the Ethical Teaching of Undefined Paradigms

Articles In the issue

Both Alastair Hay (Hay, 2024), former member of the Advisory Board on Ethics and Outreach of OPCW as well as Gabriela Gonzalez (González, 2024) describe possible ways to introduce ethical aspects related to the use of chemical knowledge, and the use of chemically produced compounds. These can be related to the use and production of chemical weapons, but also to the use of chemical knowledge related to the production of illicit drugs and undesired consequences of the production and/or use of materials and agrochemicals.

In Jan Mehlich’s article (Mehlich, 2024) emphasis is given on the ideas of RRI, as well as a description of a course in which these issues are discussed. Other examples of the way the principles of RRI can be implemented in secondary education have been developed for example in the EU project Irresistible (Apotheker et al., 2017; Maciejowska and Apotheker, 2014).

Within IUPAC several discussions related to ethics but also on gender issues have led to the installment of a Committee on Ethics, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. One of the tasks of this committee is to develop in-house policies on ethics diversity and inclusiveness (IUPAC, 2024). In her article, Liliana Mammino (Mammino, 2024) discusses a definition of ethical behavior, while Leiv Sydnes (Sydnes, 2024) discusses the importance of teaching ethics, and describes a course used to do so. Liu (Liu, 2024) describes the way teaching of ethics has been integrated at the Hebei University of Science and Technology.

Figure 1. Ethics and gender equality

The core values for chemists, not only refer to working safely but also towards sustainable use of substances, as well as the future use of raw materials. Another important aspect is the adherence to prevailing laws and regulations, including the expectations to report infringements to relevant authorities. Maria Stojanovska (Stojanovska, 2024) and Iwona Majiejowska (Maciejowska, 2024) describe a course in which some of these aspects were introduced,

New developments within society, like the development of artificial intelligence, and ChatGPT ask for a response in education. Some of these aspects are addressed in Ron Blonders article (Blonder and Feldman-Maggor, 2024).

Let’s celebrate IYQ

The 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ) recognizes 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics <quantum2025.org>. Joining in the celebrations, IUPAC is preparing a special Issue of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The special issue of PAC will contain about 40 invited articles that recognize the impact of quantum science and technology in many branches of chemistry. Potential authors are invited to contact the editors if they are interested in contributing. The Guest Editors are Manuel Yáñez (manuel.yanez@uam.es), Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain and Russell J. Boyd (russell.boyd@dal.ca), Dalhousie University, Canada.

Sebastian Kozuch (Kozuch, 2024) finally discusses ethical and philosophical aspects of chemical knowledge, linked to our understanding of the chemical bond.

With these articles a broad review of possible ways to introduce ethical and moral issues in chemistry education is given. They can serve as examples for others to start these discussions within their own teaching practice.

References

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Published Online: 2025-04-21

Published in Print: 2025-04-01

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