The Diels-Alder reaction is used as an example for showing the integration of computational and preparative techniques, which help in demonstrating the physical organic concepts in synthetic organic chemistry. These experiments show that the students should not accept the computational results without questioning them and in many Diels-Alder…

Three alternative methods for performing flame tests using cheaply and easily available cotton swabs are described. These flame tests are useful for chemical demonstrations or laboratory experiments because they are quick and easy to perform with easy cleanup and disposal methods.

Experiments are conducted for spectroscopic analysis of the allyl esters of some aromatic carboxylic acids. It is understood that these experiments allow the students to monitor the effect of hydrogen bonding on the IR stretching frequencies for the hydroxyl and carbonyl groups and also provide them with an excellent opportunity to examine the…

Newly discovered biogenic organo halogens with an emphasis on the biologically active examples from marine organisms, bacteria, terrestrial plants and higher life forms, including humans, are focused. Organohalogen compounds represent a valuable and expanding class of natural products, in many cases boasting exceptional biological activity.

The unique experience of designing and conducting a reaction are afforded to the students in a similar way to what one would do in a research lab. It encouraged them to think about each procedural step and its purpose, by the discovery-based procedure.

The environmental significance of acid rain on water systems of different buffer capacities is discussed. The most prevalent natural buffer system is created by the equilibrium between carbonate ions and carbon dioxide.

The experiment of determination of the percent of oxygen in air is performed in a general chemistry laboratory in which students compare the results calculated from the pressure measurements obtained with the calculator-based systems to those obtained in a water-measurement method. This experiment allows students to explore a fundamental reaction…

The spontaneous mixing of helium and air in a helium-inflated balloon is described in an experiment in which the partial pressure of the gases in the balloon are determined from the mole factions and the total pressure measured in the balloon. The results described provide a model for teaching concepts of partial pressure, chemical potential, and…

A review of concepts like tunneling through a metal-molecule-metal-junction, contrast with electrochemical and optical-charge injection, strong-coupling limit, calculations of tunnel transport, electron transfer through Redox-active molecules is presented. This is followed by a discussion of experimental approaches for single-molecule measurements.

Supercritical fluids (SCFs) possess properties that are intermediate between liquids and gases. The combination of supercritical fluid technology with advanced characterization techniques such as electron microscopy provided a practical and rewarding undergraduate laboratory experiment.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a Nobel Prize-winning technique that amplifies a specific segment of DNA and is commonly used to test for the presence of genetic modifications. Students use PCR to test corn meal and corn-muffin mixes for the presence of a promoter commonly used in genetically modified foods, the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S…

The student results are presented for the determination of vanillin in a vanilla extract as part of a problem-solving approach. The determination of the vanillin concentration in the Dutch product "Baukje vanilla extract" is described.

The Sciencenter Museum in Ithaca, New York, materialized from the idea of providing children and museum visitors with hands-on experience of simple chemical activities and puzzles. A brief description and evaluation of the ten fun-filled chemical activities, precautionary measures and management details, are presented.

The disposal of hazardous chemicals and chemical containing products is of much concern and there is a need for a document that describes the hazards of a chemical, to consider the precautionary measures to be taken. Many classic demonstrations however cannot be performed due to safety concerns since sometimes chemicals are deemed too hazardous or…

Theoretical and experimental evidence for the dependence of viscosities of the real gases on temperature is described, suggesting that this dependence is greater than that predicted by the kinetic theory of gases. The experimental results were obtained using common modern instrumentation and could be reproduced by students in analytical or…