ERIC Number: EJ1184705
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Jul
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Expanding Evaporation Rate Model Determination of Hand-Rub Sanitizers to the General Freshman and Engineering Chemistry Undergraduate Laboratory: Inquiry-Based Formulations, Viscosity Measurements, and Qualitative Biological Evaluations
Felton, Daniel E.; Moberly, James G.; Ederer, Martina M.; Hartzell, Patricia L.; Waynant, Kristopher V.
Journal of Chemical Education, v95 n7 p1126-1229 Jul 2018
Additions to the popular evaporation rate determination laboratory of alcohol-based hand-rub sanitizers are described here. Significantly, inquiry-driven protocols for formulating hand-rub sanitizers, falling-ball viscometry, and sanitizer efficacy are included. Incorporation of familiar substances ("molecular relevance") enables students to assimilate knowledge and connect to and recognize interrelated disciplines. To stimulate engagement and project ownership, students were given the opportunity to alter sanitizer formulations by varying the amount and molecular weight of the gelling agent. Viscosities were determined using a falling-ball viscometer to integrate physics and fluid dynamics concepts into these experiments. Lastly, to stress microbiological applications and determine the efficacy of their hand sanitizers, students tested the formulated hand sanitizers for qualitative efficacy using agar plating of skin secretions and comparing colonies formed from sanitized versus nonsanitized hands. Chemistry students with diverse interests recognized links across disciplinary boundaries (e.g., increased their awareness of physical properties of hand sanitizers and the relationship of molecular-scale phenomena to these properties). This three-hour laboratory provides an interdisciplinary supplement directly designed for freshman chemistry and engineering chemistry undergraduates and increases integration among biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics.
Descriptors: Chemistry, Science Instruction, College Science, Undergraduate Study, Inquiry, Scientific Concepts, Biology, College Freshmen, Interdisciplinary Approach, STEM Education, Science Laboratories, Laboratory Experiments, Science Experiments
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 - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A