Green chemistry is finding its place as one of the most essential study topics in the curriculum of future chemists and chemical engineers. Experiments that meet green chemistry principles contribute to make the laboratory a safer working place, generate less waste, and allow students to increase their knowledge in new environmentally friendly…

Smartphones, coupled with small mobile sensors, make it possible to work with near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in science classrooms. NIR spectroscopy has become a standard analytical technology in various industries. These new devices enable students to create their own data in real time. This article presents an inquiry-based teaching unit, in…

The antibacterial chemical triclosan is a common component in personal care products but recently the subject of many reports concerning environmental toxicity and health impacts. Although triclosan concentration in a soap can be determined simply via high-performance liquid chromatography, this is a technique not routinely available in the…

A three-part experiment that leads to the synthesis of palladium(II) complex starting from a C[subscript 3]-symmetric triaminoguanidinium-based ligand is presented. In the first part, the preparation of tris-benzylidenetriaminoguanidinium chloride ([H[subscript 6]Br[subscript 3]L]Cl) by an acidic catalyzed 3-fold imine formation reaction of…

A novel procedure is described where students use COMU [(1-cyano-2-ethoxy-2-oxoethylidenaminooxy)dimethylamino-morpholino-carbenium hexafluorophosphate], as a nonhazardous partner, in the one-pot coupling of a carboxylic acid and amine producing N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET). Fundamental principles of carbonyl reactivity are understood,…

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies of art represent an attractive way to introduce undergraduate students to concepts in nanoscience, vibrational spectroscopy, and instrumental analysis. Here, we present an undergraduate analytical or physical chemistry laboratory wherein a combination of normal Raman and SERS spectroscopy is used to…

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful experimental technique, yet it is often missing from the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory curriculum. Tetrachloromethane (CCl[subscript 4]) is the ideal molecule for an introductory vibrational spectroscopy experiment and the symmetric stretch vibration contains fine structure due to isotopic variations…

A multiday laboratory experiment was designed to integrate inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in the context of protein quantification into an advanced practical course in analytical and environmental chemistry. Graduate students were familiar with the analytical methods employed, whereas the combination of bioanalytical assays…

Although vacuum technology is essential to many aspects of modern physical and analytical chemistry, vacuum experiments are rarely the focus of undergraduate laboratories. We describe an experiment that introduces students to vacuum science and mass spectrometry. The students first assemble a vacuum system, including a mass spectrometer. While…