“Breaking Bad” Television Series Explained to Students

  Objective: The classroom is an ideal environment to enhance the learning experience by the use of alternative media. In this paper we aimed to inspire a class discussion on the famous television series “Breaking bad”, with the scope to analyze, interpreter and possibly explain all the chemical reactions and the bioactive toxic substances used during the episodes. Methods: We have found three main topics present in the series: i) methamphetamine preparation and its pharmacological effects, ii) explosives and inflammables, iii) poisons and other chemical substances mentioned in the series. Results: All these topics certainly are controversial but they are able to rise a prompt interest among the teenagers for topics such as organic chemistry, chirality, crystallography, purification of the substances, bioactivity, pharmacology and toxicology. However, the chemistry in the movie could be very misleading, overrated and imprecise, also the biological effects are artifact of the reality. Conclusion: We think that this paper could be used as guide to correctly understand TV series, prompting students to decide for themselves what is real or not. The drama characterized by the vivid images and sounds, as well as the occasional comic relief, promotes student engagement in the classroom more than a printed page.