ERIC Number: EJ1159494
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Oct
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
General Chemistry Laboratory Experiment to Demonstrate Organic Synthesis, Fluorescence, and Chemiluminescence through Production of a Biphasic Glow Stick
Pay, Adam L.; Kovash, Curtiss; Logue, Brian A.
Journal of Chemical Education, v94 n10 p1580-1583 Oct 2017
A laboratory experiment is described for beginning, nonmajor chemistry students, which allows students to examine the phenomena of fluorescence and chemiluminescence, as well as gain experience in basic organic synthesis. Students synthesize fluorescein and bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate (TCPO) to explore fluorescence and chemiluminescence by assembling a biphasic glow stick. The experiment gives students the opportunity to understand the chemistry behind common "real-life" experiences of glow stick illumination and fluorescent lighting or inks and to synthesize compounds that exhibit these phenomena. Students' survey data between 2013 and 2016 show that the experiment was enjoyable to undergraduate nonscience majors (4.3 of 5 cumulative, 4.8 in 2016) and relevant to their lives (4.0 of 5 cumulative, 4.4 in 2016).
Descriptors: Science Experiments, Laboratory Experiments, Science Laboratories, Nonmajors, Light, Scientific Concepts, Student Surveys, College Science, Undergraduate Students, Organic Chemistry
Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A