The fabrication of metallic quantum wires using simple electrochemical techniques is described. The conductance of the system can be readily measured that allows one to constantly monitor the conductance during fabrication and use conductance quantization as a signature to guide the fabrication.

A review of concepts like tunneling through a metal-molecule-metal-junction, contrast with electrochemical and optical-charge injection, strong-coupling limit, calculations of tunnel transport, electron transfer through Redox-active molecules is presented. This is followed by a discussion of experimental approaches for single-molecule measurements.

Nanometer-scale investigations offer the potential of providing first-principles understanding of tribo-systems in terms of fundamental intermolecular forces. Some of the basic issues and motivation for use of scanning probes in the area of nanotribology is presented.

The University of Wisconsin (UW) Internships in Public Science Education (IPSE) program serves as a model for introducing leading research into public and pre-college educational settings through a university-museum partnership. Such collaborations can be rewarding endeavors that communicate cutting-edge science and technology to the general…

Harold Kroto is professor of chemistry at Sussex University and President of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), offers an insight into the way his discoveries, and his interpretation, were influenced by his other interests in the wider fields of chemistry and by his passionate interest in art. He shares his views on the discovery of…

Packing efficiency and crystal density can be calculated from basic geometric principles employing the Pythagorean theorem, if the unit-cell structure is known. The procedures illustrated have applicability in courses such as general chemistry, intermediate and advanced inorganic, materials science, and solid-state physics.

The study focuses on percarbonate-based stain removers since the percarbonate can be heated to produce additional sodium carbonate. An experiment that provides general chemistry students an opportunity to apply their knowledge of basic stoichiometry to solve a relevant, real-world problem is described.

An experiment that highlights the role electrochemistry plays in the fabrication of nanoscale structures is presented. The movement and alignment of the nickel nanowires were observed, when manipulated using magnetic fields through the lens of an optical microscope using common magnets to alter the applied magnetic field.

An experiment is presented that introduces students to nanotechnology through the preparation of nanoparticles and their visualization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experiment familiarizes the students with nonaqueous solvents, biphasic reactions, phase-transfer agents, ligands to stabilize growing nanoparticles, and bidentate…

Supercritical fluids (SCFs) possess properties that are intermediate between liquids and gases. The combination of supercritical fluid technology with advanced characterization techniques such as electron microscopy provided a practical and rewarding undergraduate laboratory experiment.

The technique for producing quantum-sized zinc oxide (ZnO) particles is much safer than a technique that used hydrogen sulfide gas to produce cadmium sulfide and zinc sulfide nanoparticles. A further advantage of this method is the ability to sample the solution over time and hence determine the growth kinetics.

The difference between solution and surface properties such as pK(sub a) is illustrated enabling students to understand the differences between nanoscale and macroscopic systems. Details regarding the usage of electrochemical instrumentation, such as a potentiostat, and of the technique such as cyclic voltammetry are given.

A simple combination pH electrode consisting of a solid-state quinhydrone sensor and a solid-state quinhydrone reference electrode is described. Both electrodes are essentially rubber stoppers that are inserted into a special doublewalled holder.

The role of ethanol O-d in nullifying the deuterolysis may be demonstrated by determining that transesterification of methyl acetoacetate of the ethyl ester occurs as well as deuterium exchange of the five acetoacetate hydrogens. The significant acidity of the methylene protons in the acetoacetate group, the efficacy of base catalysis, the role of…

A multisection undergraduate laboratory involving the microscale synthesis and spectroscopic analysis of unmetalled porphyrins and their corresponding metalloporphyins is described. The microscale synthesis involving the isolation of the metalloporphyrins as solids and their corresponding (super 1)H NMR spectra are presented.