We describe a guided-inquiry laboratory experiment for instrumental analysis in which our students test an improved protocol for the recycling of silver chloride to produce nontoxic waste. Students are provided with samples of silver chloride that they created as waste products in a previous lab experiment and tasked with performing a stepwise…

Exposure to real-life applications of quantitative analysis techniques based on two gas chromatography (GC) experiments was provided to a large cohort of sophomore-level students. In one experiment, students assessed blood alcohol content by internal standardization using a homemade headspace system similar to methods implemented in forensic…

This study describes the process of developing a high-impact, low-cost, and low-maintenance air ventilation system for anatomy facilities. It employed the strategic application of Value Engineering (VE), assuring that the air ventilation system meets contemporary threshold limit values (TLVs) for formaldehyde in the working zone of dissection…

Ferrocene is an organometallic compound widely incorporated into undergraduate organic and inorganic chemistry curricula. Traditional laboratory experiments typically involve the Friedel-Crafts acylation of ferrocene to produce acetylferrocene or diacetylferrocene, with a purification method focused on column chromatography. To expand the…

Amides are usually prepared using amines and acyl halides, which often implies a two-step procedure. Alternatively, coupling reagents can be used in a single-step reaction with good yields, which seems to be suitable for organic chemistry laboratory classes. This work was designed to synthesize "N"-hexylcinnamamide through a one-step…

We report a research-enhanced undergraduate laboratory practical in which students synthesize and characterize color-controllable, stable silver nanoparticles for use in a simple catalytic reaction analyzed by UV-vis spectroscopy. The practical has been prepared for students using electronic laboratory notebooks, enables collaborative data…

A new two-step experiment has been designed and developed for the curriculum of the Organic Chemistry Laboratory 2 (CHEM2240L) sophomore course at Xavier University of Louisiana, in New Orleans. Initially, cyclohexanol was converted to cyclohexanone using bleach as the oxidizing agent followed by the formation of the cyclohexanone oxime. However,…

A comprehensive chemistry laboratory experiment, including the synthesis of Pt/Al[subscript 2]O[subscript 3] catalysts at different conditions, structure characterization, and the real-world application exploration, has been designed for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students as an expansion and improvement of the professional…

Despite the growing awareness of the importance of plant secondary metabolites in insect-plant interactions, undergraduate degree content in agronomy and biology generally does not provide a clear concept to students in relation to secondary metabolite induction of plant defences, implying that students do not obtain a good understanding of the…

Heterocyclic compounds are an integral part of research, particularly in the pharmaceutical field. The synthesis of such compounds in an undergraduate laboratory can help students understand the relevance and importance of their field of study. Our experimental activity introduces a novel procedure to synthesize coumarin, a heterocyclic formed by…

[superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopy is a molecular characterization technique that is ubiquitously used in research and teaching laboratories alike. Strategic deuteration of molecules is a commonly employed technique in the deconvolution of [superscript 1]H NMR signals. Here this approach is applied in a second-year chemistry course in which…

In this article, we discuss the replication of a forgotten chemical instrument in the context of undergraduate chemistry education. Together with students, we have attempted to replicate an eighteenth century "eudiometrical" procedure. Eudiometry was the practice of measuring the "goodness" of the air by looking at the volume…

Spectroscopic characterization of molecules is typically reinforced in the organic chemistry teaching laboratory via the analysis of reaction products by NMR and IR, and initial coverage of these topics can include experiments involving the identification of unknown compounds. To combine the unknown identification component with common laboratory…

To deliver state-of-the-art battery knowledge to undergraduates, we designed a feasible experiment to prepare flexible packaging batteries, aiming to reproduce industrial flexible packaging batteries in general chemistry laboratories. In our procedure, the materials involved are inexpensive, safe, and easy to use. No organic solvents or toxic…

This laboratory experiment aims to provide undergraduate students with research experience in water treatment by membrane separation. This experiment includes fabrication and characterization, as well as water treatment applications of the interfacially polymerized polyester nanofiltration membranes. Through participating in this experimental…