An experiment for the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory involving a method for the isolation of eugenol from cloves has been developed. The experiment employs microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of the essential oil from whole cloves using aqueous ethanol and the subsequent isolation of eugenol by acid-base extraction. The MAE allows for…

Earth's field nuclear magnetic resonance (EFNMR) spectroscopy offers students a unique opportunity to consolidate their understanding of NMR spectroscopic theory through hands-on practice with a simple spectrometer. A comprehensive, 6 h experiment is presented for the introduction of low-field NMR techniques, covering spectroscopy, relaxivity, and…

This article deals with science content "in the making" and in particular the role of the body in producing scientific phenomena. While accounts of scientists' work have repeatedly demonstrated, how producing phenomena requires immense amounts of time and effort, involving tinkering and manual labor, this is a little empirically studied…

The Flavor Perception Game was designed with the goals of developing an interactive and hands-on activity, providing a platform to review chemical senses of the five tastes, promoting student investment in the course material, and providing a basis for discussion on chemical senses of the five tastes. Knowledge of taste sensation is useful for…

Process analytical technologies (PATs) are used in the pharmaceutical and other industries to monitor chemical processes in real-time with analytical instrumentation. Each PAT analyzer brings its own advantages and disadvantages to the process, and multiplexing PAT analyzers can be advantageous as they can provide confirmatory measurements and…

In this article, we describe how the Gaussian Gun, a simple configuration of magnets and ball bearings, can be leveraged to connect ideas from physics to representations and ideas that are central to chemistry and challenging for students to learn. In particular, we show how the Gaussian Gun, an arrangement of ball bearings and magnets, models…

A significant challenge for the global community is the increasing demand for clean and renewable energy technologies. However, a lack of knowledge of these technologies threatens to impede their adoption. The development of cheap, effective, and easy-to-use chemical and electrochemical storage technologies is crucial if countries are to move away…

The Kicking Mule Brewing Co. at West Point enables members of our chemical engineering club, students, and beer enthusiasts alike to acquire chemical engineering acumen, knowledge, and skills by developing a tangible product. Through a rigorous on-site brewing process with subject matter experts, our goal is enhancement of student chemical…

Although hands-on laboratory experiments are traditionally used in schools, virtual laboratories have entered today's classrooms, due to their specific affordances. In this study, we compared the effect of using hands-on and virtual laboratories in isolation to two different combinations on middle school (7th grade) students' acquisition of…

Student-built photometers are recognized as being useful tools in teaching laboratories that help students understand the concepts behind experimental measurements, and several devices have been reported that employ photoresistors as the detector of choice. We demonstrate here an improvement over these instruments and the analyses thereof,…

3D printing was used to prepare space-filling models of electron density isosurfaces and high-resolution molecular models on the basis of the van der Waals radii of atoms. Both model types provide students with kinesthetic simulations of steric effects in bimolecular substitution and elimination reactions. The models can be printed in small sizes…

A five-day discovery-based summer workshop for incoming ninth graders was designed and conducted at the University of Cincinnati (UC). The idea was to have an inquiry-based, research-driven laboratory experience where students were provided with a mentor who encouraged creativity and inquisitiveness. Over a period of three years, 33 students…

A laboratory experiment was developed that connects the interpretation of computer-generated models to the self-assembly of macrocycles. Students compare the reactions of terephthalaldehyde and isophthalaldehyde by reacting each with (R,R)-(-)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane. These isomeric systems serve as the foundation for a discussion about the impact…

This work describes the design, building, and testing of miniature, low-cost LED-LDR colorimeters for absorption-spectrophotometry experiments. It also describes using these colorimeters for simplified context-based-learning (CBL) activities in school teaching laboratories and for public-engagement events. The colorimeters are simple and robust,…

This article discusses a case study of a pair of students mentored by a physics teacher as they engaged in a long-term (15 months) engineering maker-based inquiry (EMBI), a mandatory part of these students' formal learning of physics at the advanced high school level. We conceptualize the students' engagement as participating in a particular…