Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has become a cornerstone tool for studying a variety of molecular features in advanced chemistry laboratories. In this experiment, students prepare a pyrrole-[beta]-amide via a one-pot, three-step synthesis and use NMR spectroscopy to confirm its molecular structure. In addition, variable temperature…

A research-style laboratory experiment for advanced undergraduate students is described, which includes the synthesis, characterization, and properties (porosity, stability, amphipathy) testing of the composite [Cu[subscript 2](BTC)[subscript 4/3](H[subscript 2]O)[subscript 2][subscript 6][HPW[subscript 12]O[subscript 40]·(C[subscript…

Hierarchical structure and mechanics are crucial in biological systems as they allow for smaller molecules, such as proteins and sugars, to be used in the construction of large scale biological structures exhibiting properties such as structural support functionality. By exploring the fundamental principles of structure and mechanics at the…

The concept of delocalization (i.e., resonance) is fundamental concept in organic chemistry but essential learning outcomes (LOs) have not previously been proposed nor has there been an analysis of how resonance is taught, despite indications in the literature that students have many non-canonical ideas about the concepts. To address this deficit,…

This report describes an activity that helps organic chemistry students to better understand organic molecules as 3-dimensional objects. To accomplish this goal, the activity employs a unique three-way combination of analyzing computer-generated 3-dimensional renditions of open access X-ray crystallography data, building physical 3-dimensional…

An instructional approach is presented for teaching the mole concept to high school introductory-level chemistry classes. Extensions to the strategy are presented for more advanced classes. The strength of the approach is based upon discovery. Students discover the Avogadro number and the mole concept. The discovery is based upon calculations that…

In this study, how prospective chemistry teachers (PCTs) perceive precipitation and conceptualize precipitation reactions at the symbolic level was explored. Further, it was of interest to identify PCTs' visualization of the sub-microscopic level of precipitation reactions. The sample was drawn from the Chemistry Education Department at the…

A spreadsheet-based exercise for students is described in which they are challenged to explain and reproduce the disparate temperature dependencies of the heat capacities of gaseous F[subscript 2] and N[subscript 2]. For F[subscript 2], C[subscript p,m] increases from 300 K, reaches a maximum at 2200 K, and then decreases to 74% of the maximum…

The aim of this article is to present a set of simple exercises that help the students of a second course in quantum chemistry to understand that some molecular properties do not improve even when the molecular energy improves with an increasing number of basis functions in the expansion of the wavefunction. The essential idea is to create a…

The prompt introduction of single-molecule science into undergraduates' curricula is an urgent but challenging task. However, the research experiments are often too complicated and the instruments are too expensive to be widely transferred into a compulsory course of undergraduate students. Herein, we introduce a recently developed nanopore…

The use of symmetry is widespread in chemistry, as it is used for predictions of the number of allowed and forbidden absorptions in electronic, vibrational, and rotational spectroscopies; for predictions of the combination of atomic orbitals to produce molecular orbitals; and in many other chemical applications. One critical step in these…

Industrial drug discovery teams encompass scientists from multiple specialties and require participants to communicate effectively across disciplinary boundaries. In this paper, we present an undergraduate or graduate classroom simulation of this environment. Over a series of five workshops, student teams of mixed scientific backgrounds perform…

In common with many other countries, the Iranian science curriculum does not introduce primary children to atoms and molecules but instead leaves the teaching of these concepts until high school. This paper challenges this practice and describes the changes in elementary Iranian children's understanding of atoms and molecules following a 10-h…

Scientific literacy is an important skill for students' success, given the characteristics of today's society. However, not all students have a natural predisposition toward science, chemistry in particular. Considering the relevance of transdisciplinary learning, schools should foster the scientific abilities for which students may have less…

In the fall of 2009 and in the spring of 2012, supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we designed a course "Phylogenetic Analysis and Molecular Evolution" (PAME), the first cross-listed course across three different colleges (College of Arts and Sciences,…