In this paper, we present activities that help students deepen their understanding of basic electrostatics using an electroscope in combination with the photoelectric effect. The students investigate the behaviour of an isolated electroscope when the metal housing of the electroscope is charged. The activities follow the framework of the…

The catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes and alkynes is an important part of the undergraduate chemistry curriculum and is a fundamental process in chemical industry. Inquiry-based laboratory activities are presented that investigate the hydrogenation of alkynes on a nanoparticle palladium surface to form alkenes, which go on to form alkanes. Alkyne…

This comprehensive experiment is specially designed for the third-year and above students who are majoring in chemistry, applied chemistry, and chemical engineering. Students conduct experiments in groups, which are required to synthesize the CeO[subscript 2]-NiTiO[subscript 3]/attapulgite (ATTP) composite catalyst by the sol-gel method; the…

Thermal conductivity is generally the tool of choice for quantification of fixed gases, particularly lighter-than-air gases. Unfortunately, gas chromatography-thermal conductivity detectors (GC-TCDs) are difficult to introduce in first- and second-year chemistry courses where the cost and number of instruments, as well as the space required, is…

The dynamics of a spring pendulum is an important topic in introductory experimental physics courses at universities and advanced science courses in secondary school education. Different types of pendulum setups with smartphones were proposed to investigate, e.g., the gravitational acceleration, to measure spring constants, or to illustrate and…

Herein we report the design of an upper-level hybrid laboratory course in the area of applied biopharmaceuticals, which has high scheduling flexibility, and utilizes both virtual and in-person educational elements to enhance students' learning experience. This newly developed course applies chemical engineering knowledge, practical and…

A laboratory experiment that involves the synthesis, characterization, and application exploration of a metal-organic framework (MOF) has been developed for first-year undergraduates in the Faculty of Engineering at National University of Singapore. The desired MOF material was prepared from commercially available reagents in a facile…

Biodiesel is an important biomass, largely employed in the transport sector and produced from vegetable oils. Additionally, waste cooking oils may be reused to produce biodiesel fuel, minimizing environmental pollution. A laboratory experiment that affords a widespread way to discuss degradation concepts and tools for used vegetable oil…

Measuring the "e/m" ratio is a classic experiment in the physics curriculum. We show that smartphones can reliably measure the magnetic field strengths involved. Moreover, phone cameras and the image-processing software Tracker can make determining the charge-to-mass ratio of the electron more accurate.

The fact that a bungee jumper can reach an acceleration greater than the acceleration of gravity is, also from a physics point of view, intriguing. Taking only gravity into account, it can be explained by applying conservation of energy or by deriving carefully the equation of motion in a Newtonian approach. In this article we show how it can be…

A continuous flow photopinacol coupling of benzophenone has been developed and implemented in the undergraduate laboratory. This photoreduction was accomplished using 2-propanol as an H atom donor and cosolvent in the reaction. The simple and inexpensive UV light source and flow reactor design (less than $350/photochemical flow system) provide an…

Interfacial solar vapor generation has recently drawn much attention because of its high solar-to-vapor generation efficiency. Here we introduce the basic experimental procedures and analysis for undergraduates to perform such an experiment to catch up with the cutting-edge research wave. Interfacial solar vapor generation employs an interfacial…

An undergraduate organic chemistry experiment has been developed that features asymmetric synthesis of an enantioenriched secondary alcohol, followed by determination of its absolute configuration using the competing enantioselective conversion (CEC) method. Students are given a ketone and an unknown enantiomer of CBS (Corey-Bakshi-Shibata)…

Physics experiments powered by a universal serial bus (USB) connection are becoming increasingly common. With teachers going through so many batteries each year, USB-powered physics provides an economical and environmentally friendly alternative. In this article, the authors discuss several ways that USB power can provide a convenient way to do…

We show that the gravitational acceleration g near Earth's surface can be easily determined with high accuracy by conducting the usual free fall experiment in high school or college physics laboratories. Unlike the conventional method of data analysis that uses formulas without taking air resistance into account, we consider the effect of air drag…