A quantitative and qualitative study of the interplay between absorption, fluorescence, and excitation spectra of pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is conducted. The study of five PAH displays the correlation of the above-mentioned properties along with the associated molecular changes.

The increasing use of computational quantum chemistry in the modeling of environmentally important processes is described. The employment of computational quantum mechanics for the prediction of oxidation-reduction potential for solutes in an aqueous medium is discussed.

The procedure to estimate the carbon-carbon bond distance in the naphthalene molecule is described. The procedure is easily performed and can be done either at home or in the classroom, with the restriction that the mass of the naphthalene must be determined using an analytical or a precise balance.

The mathematics behind the average absorption cross-section is exactly one third of the maximum value described. The goal is to calculate experimental observables, or other properties of bulk sample, in terms of microscopic molecular parameters.

The concepts of oxidation numbers when applied means electrons that are shared between atoms in molecules are assigned to a specific atom. Oxidation numbers are assigned from the Lewis structure of a molecule, with knowledge of the electronegativities of elements.

The development of ion chromatography from an engineering perspective is presented. As ion chromatography became more widely accepted, researchers developed dozens of standard applications that enabled the creation of many low-end instruments.

The revolutionary Feynman vision of a powerful and general nanotechnology, based on nanomachines that build with atom-by-atom control, promises great opportunities and, if abused, great dangers. This vision made nanotechnology a buzzword and launched the global nanotechnology race. Along the way, however, the meaning of the word has shifted. A…

CPEB-1 is a sequence-specific RNA binding protein that stimulates the polyadenylation-induced translation of mRNAs containing the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element (CPE). Although CPEB-1 was identified originally in Xenopus oocytes, it has also been found at postsynaptic sites of hippocampal neurons where, in response to N-methyl-D-aspartate…

The study focuses on the process and energetic cost of twisting around a C=C double bond and provides instructors with a simple vehicle for rectifying the common misrepresentation of C=C double bonds as rigid and inflexible. Discussions of cis and trans isomers of cycloalkenes are a good entry point for introducing students to the idea of a…

The isotopic distribution in mass spectroscopy is described for identifying pure compounds, being able to distinguish molecular fragments by masses. Punnett squares are familiar, easy to compute, and often graphical which makes helpful to students and the relative distribution of isotopic combination is easily generated for even isotopic…

The debate related to origin of the term "hypervalent" that was first introduced by Jeremy Musher in 1969 to describe compounds and complex ions of the heavier main-block elements in which the use of traditional Lewis 2c-2e covalent bonds requires the additional assumption of "octer expansion" for the central atom is presented. The traditional…

To help students develop an understanding of the proper use and function of spectrographs and monochromators we describe a student-assembled spectrograph using a "webcam" detector. The apparatus also works well as a low-cost demonstration, helping students make connections between an atomic spectrum observed by eye and a plot of the relative…

An undergraduate laboratory was designed for undergraduate students to make long persistent light emitting diode (LED) indicators using phosphors. Blue LEDs, which emit at 465 nm, were characterized and used as an excitation source. Long persistent phosphors, SrAl[subscript 2]O[subscript 4]:Eu[superscript 2+],Dy[superscript 3+] (green) and…

Nanotechnologies are technologies applied to a molecular level, which can be embedded in materials including human cells and atoms of mineral, chemical, or physical substrates. Nanotechnologies have been used in attempts to foster interactions between a multitude of products, production processes, and social actors. Just like bio, info, and…

The stereochemical investigation is conducted to give students the combined experience of chemical synthesis of amines and N-heterocycles and structural stereochemical analysis using NMR spectroscopy. Students are introduced to the concept of topicity-stereochemical relationships between ligands within a molecule by synthesizing N,O-acetals.