Laboratory chemical synthesis research typically lacks the preplanned hazard responses found in production-scale industrial laboratories. Chemical safety management is a known challenge in education-based facilities, which is concerning for academic and national laboratory environments working with inexperienced student researchers. At the…

The substitution of carbonyl compounds with liquid bromine as a brominating agent is the most commonly employed synthesis method for a-bromoacetophenone and its derivatives. However, liquid bromine possesses certain drawbacks, such as volatilization, high toxicity, strong corrosion, and poor reaction selectivity, which limit its application and…

High-voltage plasma arcs from solid-state Tesla coils were used to produce characteristic atomic emissions of various metals. The colored arcs produced were highly visible and vibrant, making for a spectacularly engaging demonstration for groups of varying sizes. The demonstration used an inexpensive solid-state Tesla coil to generate low-current,…

Integrating chemical management into a comprehensive emergency operations plan (EOP), including through the creation of a Toxic Materials Annex and a Hazardous Materials Annex, helps improve a school district's or individual school's preparedness for a chemical-related incident. To ensure the annexes remain relevant and useful, districts and…

The Joint Safety Team (JST) was conceived in 2012 by the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Chemistry at the University of Minnesota and the Dow Chemical Company as a model student-led safety organization. The JST initiative was aimed at improving academic safety through four core areas: compliance, awareness, resources,…

The liquid nitrogen cloud demonstration is an effective, dramatic, large-scale demonstration to illustrate gas laws and cloud/fog (aerosol) formations for classes and large-scale outreach events. When performed at full scale, it is common to produce a cloud 20-30 feet in height. Its effect can be further enhanced by adding brightly colored…

In this article, a proven safety concept with documented success is presented. The concept aligns with best safety practices and the international engineering educational framework termed "The CDIO Initiative," and it has resulted in a strong safety culture among students and staff. This concept has been developed for undergraduate…

In 2015, "NFPA 45, Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals," from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) was updated to include language requiring educators to perform a documented risk assessment when conducting demonstrations in K-12 classrooms. Additionally, in the past five years numerous organizations…

Developing strong safety cultures in academic institutions requires that students at all levels be educated by faculty in chemical safety. Yet chemical safety education is missing from the chemistry curriculum. This article considers a report of numerous injuries from incidents from using flammable chemicals in demonstrations as evidence that…

A relatively large number of organic and inorganic chemistry reagents are air- or moisture-sensitive, and undergraduate students should be trained in their use. When handling such reagents, it is important to select the correct syringe and to use that syringe correctly. We have found that the best syringe for use in an undergraduate setting is a…

The Making Introductory Courses Real while Online (MICRO) laboratory project was developed to meet the need for hands-on experiments, focused on topics in analytical chemistry, to be delivered safely remotely or in a socially distanced in-person lab. Unlike more traditional lab experiments, MICRO laboratories use only microgram or nanogram amounts…

The chemistry of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has the potential to introduce high school and undergraduate students to the fundamental chemical principles of structure and bonding, enhance the development of skills in synthesis and crystal growth, and promote hands-on experience with gas capture and host-guest chemistry of emerging materials…

Laboratory work in chemistry has been extensively researched in the last decade but the gap between research and practice is still broad. This "Perspective" shares 10 guiding principles relating to university laboratory education, drawing on research over the last decade. Written with an audience of practitioners in mind, the…

A method to synthesize biaryls through the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction using a recyclable fluorous precatalyst is described. This laboratory experiment, which demonstrates the safety benefits of green chemistry, is integrated into an upper-division course. Besides simply using the catalyst for a reaction, students can reuse the catalyst…

"N"-Formamides are important intermediates in the synthesis of many pharmacologically active compounds and are used as protecting groups for amines or as catalysts in different reactions. The current "N"-formylation experiment is designed as a part of an introductory organic chemistry course for undergraduate students. The…