A laboratory experiment has been designed for teaching laboratories aimed at training students in the basics of spectroscopy in junior and senior level undergraduate chemistry courses. Despite the ubiquity of light-based tools in modern science, students often find it difficult to comprehend light and light-matter interactions. A portable…

The self-association of caffeine in solution, driven by the hydrophobic effect, is a simple example of molecular aggregation. It obeys an isodesmic association model in which each successive binding occurs with the same equilibrium constant. Here, we describe an activity for chemistry students that explores this phenomenon using nuclear magnetic…

The area of application of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), usually coupled with liquid chromatography, seems to be much larger than those of any other ionization method. It gives rise to the demand for new teaching methods that would effectively help students to master the principles of working with and making full use of the…

A chemistry laboratory experiment is described to introduce undergraduate college students to membrane separation technology. This experiment combines a simple nanowire membrane fabrication and visually indicated molecule separation. The membrane is produced via coprecipitation synthesis followed by a filtration assembly process, which can be…

NMR prediction using ChemDoodle, NMR calculation with Gaussian, and hands-on data collection using a benchtop NMR spectrometer were explored to assess their synergistic capacity in teaching NMR to organic chemistry students. Nine molecules representing functional groups commonly encountered in undergraduate organic chemistry were selected. Spectra…

Perturbation of gene expression using RNA interference (RNAi) or CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) is a useful strategy to explore the function of essential genes. In the archaeon "Haloferax volcanii," the CRISPR-Cas system has been adapted as a CRISPRi tool to silence the expression of specific genes. We developed a laboratory class (LC) to…

A straightforward protocol for the preparation of the colorful and air-stable diphenyl ditelluride is described. In one laboratory session, students isolate their product and characterize it via melting point determination, mass spectrometry, and NMR spectroscopy ([superscript 1]H, [superscript 13]C­{[superscript 1]H}, and [superscript…

Using crystal structure data, site directed mutagenesis, and real-time kinetic assays, students designed, expressed, and purified engineered mutants of human insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE). Students designed their own IDE mutants following "in silico" analysis, used inverse PCR to generate mutant plasmid expression constructs, expressed…

A structured series of activities has been designed and implemented to promote analysis and data reporting skills for second-year organic chemistry students. Student report sheets were developed to assist students in reporting necessary data for their compounds. A series of rubrics have been utilized by students to promote metacognition and by…

An integrated system comprising a commercial high-performance liquid chromatography HPLC (except autosampler) equipped with an external multichannel autofeeding module was developed to accomplish interference-free separation and kinetic tracking for the H[subscript 2]O[subscript 2]-thiourea reaction, which is proposed as a lab experiment for…

Novice chemists often struggle with the highly visual nature of some chemistry topics. To make visually demanding concepts, such as isomerism and stereochemistry, more accessible to students, chemistry instructors have long recommended the use of molecular model kits as visual aids. However, studies pertaining to student model usage have shown…

A comprehensive laboratory-style teaching activity involving the synthesis, characterization, and analysis of structure-activity relationships of metal-organic framework (MOF) nanozymes was developed specifically for undergraduates at Tianjin University. The students acquired familiarity with the general approach in synthesizing MOFs by…

Surface chemistry impacts technology, advancing the development of new heterogeneous catalysts, semiconductor devices, and materials synthesis. Carbon surfaces are ubiquitous in various fields, and the surface reactivity can be altered by surface functionalization on the molecular scale, introducing functional groups, thus shifting their…

Catalysis and catalytic cycles are widely used in both research and industry. The addition of a catalysis experiment into the undergraduate laboratory curriculum is important and necessary training to expand student learning. Here, an experiment demonstrating iron-based tandem catalysis was developed and implemented in an organic chemistry course…

Molecules and Computer: Chemistry Calculations in Class (MC[superscript 4]) is a computational laboratory intended for final-year high school or undergraduate students. The topic is the antioxidant potential of anthocyanidins, which is chemically related to their radical scavenging action via the mechanism of hydrogen atom transfer (HAT). This…