An experiment is developed that requires the use of the NMR spectrometer via a NOESY1D experiment to determine the diastereoselectivity in the reduction of alpha-methylbenzoin with various reducing agents. Students must synthesize racemic alpha-hydroxyketones, perform reductions under chelating and non-chelating conditions, and quantitatively…

An experiment is described that introduces students to the concept of temperature-dependent stability of the tetrahedral intermediate in an acyl-transfer reaction. The process involves the determination of the structure of an alpha-ketoester and its corresponding remarkably stable enol ester to suggest a mechanism for the formation of the products.

An experimental exercise on analytical proficiency studies in collaborative trials is proposed. This practical provides students in advanced undergraduate courses in chemistry, pharmacy, and biochemistry, with the opportunity to improve their quality assurance skills. It involves an environmental analysis, determining the concentration of a…

This paper describes the author's experience of designing and teaching an interdisciplinary course titled "Light", in collaboration with a visual artist. The goals of the course, texts used, laboratory work, art studio work, and other course activities are discussed with an emphasis on how light was used as a theme to make connections between…

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…

The sequential-injection analysis (SIA) is an approach to sample handling that enables the automation of manual wet-chemistry procedures in a rapid, precise and efficient manner. The experiments using SIA fits well in the course of Instrumental Chemical Analysis and especially in the section of Automatic Methods of analysis provided by chemistry…

Describes an undergraduate chemistry experiment in which the concentration of chloride, fluoride, or bromide ions can be quantitatively determined by titrating with mercury (II) ions. (MLH)

Describes a general chemistry level kinetics experiment requiring three 3-hour laboratory periods. Data analyses can be accomplished with graphical techniques or a non-linear least squares computer program. (MLH)

Describes a computer simulation experiment in which physical chemistry students can determine all of the kinetic parameters of a reaction, such as order of the reaction with respect to each reagent, forward and reverse rate constants for the overall reaction, and forward and reverse activation energies. (MLH)

Describes an experiment which measures the surface tension of a liquid and illustrates interfacial spreading and the Marangoni effect. (MLH)

Reported here is a convenient alternative for determining the enantiomeric purity of student resolved alpha-phenylethyl amine using a chiral lanthanide shift reagent. (BB)

This experiment graphically demonstrates a change in the sign of the P-C-H coupling constant between trivalent phosphorus and tetravalent phosphorus. (BB)

This reaction can form the basis of a laboratory experiment for students who have mastered basic spectroscopy. The structure of the product can be assigned from four reasonable possibilities on the basis of the nmr spectrum. (BB)

This experiment provides an excellent practical application of computer-controlled spectrometers. (BB)

This symposium focused on the question: can colleges afford to continue offering high quality laboratory instruction at the undergraduate level. (Author/BB)