This article is a response to a commentary entitled "Comment on 'Rabbit-Ears Hybrids, VSEPR Sterics, and Other Orbital Anachronisms': A Reply to a Criticism," which focuses on the fundamental question of whether there exists a unique set of supposedly "real," or "best," orbitals for a given molecule. The authors of…

Only diazotrophic bacteria, called "Rizhobia," living as symbionts in the root nodules of leguminous plants and certain free-living prokaryotic cells can fix atmospheric N[subscript 2]. In these microorganisms, nitrogen fixation is carried out by the nitrogenase protein complex. However, the reduction of nitrogen to ammonia has an…

Collaboration is regarded as one of the core competences of the 21st century when it comes to complex problem solving. In response to high dropout rates among STEM students, we developed a digital-collaborative intervention on a difficult topic, MO theory, for first-year chemistry students. First, students work independently in a Digital Learning…

Undergraduate research experiences are excellent opportunities to engage students in science alongside experienced scientists, but at large institutions, it is challenging to accommodate all students. To address and engage a larger number of students, we developed a modular laboratory course based on the course-based undergraduate research…

This study aimed to develop pre-service science teachers' conceptual understanding of a nanoscience project through a newly introduced 8E learning cycle. This research was conducted during one semester of a nanoscience and nanotechnology course in the chemistry education department in Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia with thirty-three…

In a course on chemical applications of symmetry and group theory, students learn to use several useful tools (like character tables, projection operators, and correlation tables), but in the process of learning the mathematical details, they often miss the conceptual big picture about "why" and "how" symmetry leads to the…

A laboratory experiment for teaching protein separation and detection in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course is described. This experiment, performed in two, 4 h laboratory periods, incorporates guided inquiry principles to introduce students to the concepts behind and difficulties of protein purification. After using size-exclusion…

While structure-property relationships are commonly developed in applications of physical organic chemistry to real-world problems at the graduate level, they have not been generally emphasized in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. For instance, the ability to modify the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the…

In this work we are going to present how an interactive platform can be used as a powerful tool to allow students to better explore a foundational problem in quantum chemistry: the application of the variational method to the dihydrogen molecule using simple Gaussian trial functions. The theoretical approach for the hydrogen atom is quite…

With memory encoding reliant on persistent changes in the properties of synapses, a key question is how can memories be maintained from days to months or a lifetime given molecular turnover? It is likely that positive feedback loops are necessary to persistently maintain the strength of synapses that participate in encoding. Such feedback may…

Students' skills in structure elucidation of organic molecules are developed by training them to understand advanced spectroscopic measurements and elucidate structures of small organic molecules from mass spectrometry (MS) and infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), and [superscript 1]H and [superscript 13]C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)…

Innovative models of teaching through research have broken the long-held paradigm that core chemistry competencies must be taught with predictable, scripted experiments. We describe here five fundamentally different, course-based undergraduate research experiences that integrate faculty research projects, accomplish ACS accreditation objectives,…

A series of computer-based laboratory experiments have been developed to aid undergraduate students in appreciating the three-dimensional nature of chemistry and biochemistry. Both lower- and upper-division experiments have been developed. Students are introduced to the use of ChemDraw for the production of professional-quality molecular…

This study aimed to obtain the characteristics of students' mental models and the difficulties experienced by students while studying in schools in developing the ability of creative imagination. The number of samples involved in this study was 89 students of grade 11. The instrument used to achieve that goal were a test mental models in the form…

We present an interactive discovery-based approach to studying the properties of real gases using simple, yet realistic, molecular dynamics software. Use of this approach opens up a variety of opportunities for students to interact with the behaviors and underlying theories of real gases. Students can visualize gas behavior under a variety of…