In this laboratory activity, students are introduced to a three-step synthesis of hydantoin (imidazolidine-2,4-dione), a moiety that is found in many biologically active compounds. Using a microwave oven and solid-support technology, this synthetic experiment is designed for masters-degree candidates working in organic chemistry or upper-level…

The primary goals of this project were to develop a reliable instrument to measure the chemistry course perceptions (CCP) of undergraduate chemistry students and to determine the predictors of CCP of undergraduate students as they enter their first college chemistry class. In a pilot study, 250 undergraduate students were solicited with 57…

The mathematical Lambert function W[a exp(a - bt)] is used to find integrated rate laws for several examples, including simple enzyme and Lindemann-Christiansen-Hinshelwood (LCH) unimolecular decay kinetics. The results derived here for the well-known LCH mechanism as well as for a dimer-monomer reaction mechanism appear to be novel. A nonlinear…

"To confess the truth, Mrs. B., I am not disposed to form a very favorable idea of chemistry, nor do I expect to derive much entertainment from it." That 200-year-old statement by Caroline to Mrs. Bryan, her teacher, appeared on the first page of Jane Marcet's pioneering secondary school textbook, "Conversations on Chemistry". It was published 17…

This Classroom Activity Connections paper describes an extension to the "JCE" Classroom Activity #68 "Turning on the Light". A number of additional common items that display fluorescence under UV light are described, including fruits, vegetables, and seashells. Two classroom extensions on fluorescence are also described. From these activities,…

A new procedure using a student-friendly least-squares multiple linear-regression technique utilizing a function within Microsoft Excel is described that enables students to calculate molecular constants from the vibronic spectrum of iodine. This method is advantageous pedagogically as it calculates molecular constants for ground and excited…

In the years after Joule's experiment on the equivalence of heat and work, it was taken for granted that heat and work could be independently defined and that the change in energy for a change of state is the sum of the heat and the work. Only with the work of Caratheodory and Born did it become clear that heat cannot be measured independently,…

Entropy analyses as a function of the extent of reaction are presented for a number of physicochemical processes, including vaporization of a liquid, dimerization of nitrogen dioxide, and the autoionization of water. Graphs of the total entropy change versus the extent of reaction give a visual representation of chemical equilibrium and the second…

With the growing availability of electronic databases, online journal publications, and open-access publishing, there is unprecedented access to research materials. Increasingly, these materials are being incorporated into chemistry curricula and being used by undergraduate students in literature research. Internet savvy students can effectively…

Students transitioning to inquiry-based laboratories are often initially reluctant to participate. Having to critically examine problems, share their insights with unfamiliar peers and instructors, and choose how to proceed can be daunting for many students. Their hesitancy is exacerbated by their uncertainty of the scientific principles involved.…

This case study places the high school student as a researcher for Carbonation Creators (fictional entity), a company responsible for making the Fizzy Forcer (a device to improve carbonation in previously opened bottles of soft drinks). The company faces a class-action lawsuit claiming that the Fizzy Forcer does not retain carbonation levels in…

In this series of experiments, we mimic a small-scale ethanol plant. Students discover that the practical aspects of ethanol production are determined by the quantity of biomass produced per unit land, rather than the volume of ethanol produced per unit of biomass. These experiments explore the production of ethanol from different sources: fruits,…

In recent years, biofuel development and use has risen significantly. This undergraduate laboratory experiment educates students on the various alternative fuels that are being developed for automotive applications and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Students replicate commercially available alternative fuels, E85 and biodiesel, as well…

Experimental exercises within second-year-level organic laboratory manuals typically involve a statement of a principle that is then validated by student generation of data in a single experiment. These experiments are structured in the exact opposite order of the scientific method, in which data interpretation, typically from multiple related…

Most current organic chemistry textbooks are organized by functional groups and those of us who teach organic chemistry use functional-group organization in our courses but ask students to learn organic chemistry from a mechanistic approach. To enrich and extend the chemical understanding and knowledge of pericyclic-type reactions for chemistry…