Carbohydrates, in the form of glycoconjugates, have recently been shown to control a wide range of cellular processes. Accordingly, students interested in the study of organic chemistry and biomedical sciences should be exposed to carbohydrate chemistry. To this end, we have developed a sequence of experiments that leads the student from the…

In teaching organic chemistry laboratory at this university, we eliminated the use of "canned" experiments from textbooks. Instead, we present students with literature studies that form the basis of developing new unpublished experiments to answer specific questions. In this research approach, students are better exposed to the chemical…

An introduction to the concepts and experimental techniques of diastereoselective synthesis using a chiral auxiliary is described. The 4-benzyl-2-oxazolidinone chiral auxiliary developed by Evans is acylated with propionic anhydride under mild conditions using DMAP as an acyl transfer catalyst. Deprotonation with NaN(TMS)[subscript 2] at -78…

The use of chiral reagents for the derivatization of optically-active amines and alcohols for the purpose of determining their enantiomeric purity or absolute configuration is a tool used by many chemists. Among the techniques used, Mosher's amide and Mosher's ester analyses are among the most reliable and one of the most often used. Despite this,…

A simple molecular approach is described that aids students in learning challenging stereochemical terms, definitions, and concepts, particularly when chemical structures are drawn in two dimensions. The approach starts with a structurally diverse family of natural compounds ([alpha]-amino acids) and gradually increases in complexity. The recently…

Examples of concomitant ordering include magnetic ordering, Jahn-Teller cooperative ordering, electronic ordering, ionic ordering, and ordering of partially-filled sites. Concomitant ordering sets in when a crystal is cooled and always lowers the degree of symmetry of the crystal. Concomitant ordering concepts can also be productively applied to…

This study measures changes in teachers' attitudes, content knowledge, and spatial ability following a two-year visualization workshop experience. The workshop involved intensive, half-day sessions over three weeks for two consecutive summers, in which the participants worked with three-dimensional models and computer-generated images. No changes…

We report on the contents and results for 360 students of a mathematics assessment administered at the start of the second-semester introductory chemistry course required for science and engineering majors at the University of Minnesota. This calculator-free, 20-question, 30-minute, multiple-choice, diagnostic quiz includes questions selected…

The place of the zeroth law in the teaching of thermodynamics is examined in the context of the recent discussion by Gislason and Craig of some problems involving the establishment of thermal equilibrium. The concept of thermal equilibrium is introduced through the zeroth law. The relation between the zeroth law and the second law in the…

A-DNA and B-DNA are two secondary molecular conformations (among other allomorphs) that double-stranded DNA drawn into a fiber can assume, depending on the relative water content and other chemical parameters of the fiber. They were the first two forms to be observed by X-ray fiber diffraction in the early 1950s, respectively by Wilkins and…

There is a growing need for more proactive outreach by universities to the wider public to counter the negative publicity surrounding chemistry. At present, most programs aimed at widening participation focus on the potential recruitment of juniors rather than seeking an inclusive approach. The direct participation of adults within university…

The effectiveness of problem solving as a learning tool is often diminished because students typically use only an algorithmic approach to get to the answer. We discuss a way of encouraging students to reflect on the solution to their problem by requiring them--after they have arrived at their solution--to draw solution maps. A solution map…

This paper describes and discusses the unique chemistry course opportunities beyond the advanced placement-level available at a science and technology magnet high school. Students may select entry-level courses such as honors and advanced placement chemistry; they may also take electives in organic chemistry with instrumental methods of analysis;…

A highly flexible learning tool, referred to as a dynamic reaction figure, is described. Application of these figures can (i) yield the correct chemical equation by simply following a set of menu driven directions; (ii) present the underlying "mechanism" in chemical reactions; and (iii) help to solve quantitative problems in a number of different…

Two labs incorporating the Science Writing Heuristic are described that introduce scientific inquiry in a course for preservice students majoring in elementary education. One lab adapts a previously described discovery learning opportunity involving the change in composition and mass of pennies in 1982. The other involves the use of flotation…