The measurement of glucose through electrochemical methods is a great example to illustrate the practical application of electrochemistry. Although many students enrolled in chemistry classes are familiar with the glucose meter, only a few have delved into the underlying principles governing its operation. This experiment aims to address this gap…

The amount of protein in complex matrices such as food products is an important characteristic, at both a nutritional and a pedagogical level. There are several methods available for protein quantification, from simple UV absorption to mass spectrometry. The most common are based on the interaction of the proteins with colored compounds followed…

In this paper, a problem set activity focused on understanding and applying unsupervised and supervised chemometric methods for the analysis of biodiesel-diesel blended fuels is described. This problem set was utilized in two upper-level analytical elective courses aimed for junior and senior level students. The data set consists of peak areas…

Pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is used to estimate the size of quantum dots (QDs) produced in a simple, fast, small-scale synthesis. This upper-division laboratory experiment teaches the basics of QD synthesis and pulsed field gradient NMR, a powerful technique for measuring diffusion coefficients in solution. The diffusion…

There is an increasing need for fundamental electrochemistry concepts to be taught in the undergraduate curriculum, given the broad applicability of electrochemical technologies in addressing a wide range of global issues from critical energy shortages to real-time medical diagnostics. However, many electrochemical concepts are often taught in…

Fluorescence analysis is an important technology, which can obtain the concentration of target analytes through comparing the fluorescence intensity change of a fluorescent sensor. Generally, the fluorescence intensity is measured by a fluorometer. However, many undergraduates have no chance to operate such an expensive instrument. Besides, the…

Kombucha, a popular probiotic beverage, contains detectable concentrations of ethyl alcohol. To be sold as a nonalcoholic product, alcohol concentrations in kombucha must be shown to be less than 0.5% by volume. This paper describes the use of an inexpensive, commercially available sensor to reliably and accurately measure alcohol concentrations…

Laboratory automation and data science are valuable new skills for all chemists, but most pedagogical activities involving automation to date have focused on upper-level coursework. Herein, we describe a combined computational and experimental lab suitable for a first-year undergraduate general chemistry course, in which these topics are…

Many of the current synthetic methodologies utilized within academic and industrial laboratories require knowledge of how to safely handle air- and moisture-sensitive reagents and work under inert atmospheres. As a result, the ACS Committee on Professional Training recommends incorporating synthetic methods that make use of these inert atmospheres…

The pharmaceutical industry relies heavily on analytical techniques for identifying and characterizing drug compounds. In this experiment, undergraduate pharmacy students explored the applications of near-infrared spectroscopy for pharmaceutical analysis and its potential for identifying patterns and relationships among pharmaceutical samples. In…

An integrated laboratory experience using metal--organic frameworks (MOFs), a nanoporous and crystalline extended solid material composed of metal cations and organic linkers, was developed and adopted for upper-division, major-level chemistry and biochemistry students. In this laboratory, students were guided through the facile solvothermal…

This article reports on a new device, called a geyser guide, that allows for quantitative measurements of both bubble sizes and kinetics of foam production in the so-called Diet Coke and Mentos experiment. The device is easily constructed, is made using readily available materials, and allows the experiment to be carried out indoors with no mess.…

Scanning probe-based microscopes (SPMs) are widely used in biology, chemistry, materials science, and physics to image and manipulate matter on the nanoscale. Unfortunately, high school and university departments lack expensive SPM tools and materials microscopy activities to educate a large number of students in this vital SPM imaging technique.…

We present a showcase of our experience with videos complementing analytical chemistry lectures to familiarize undergraduate students with instrumental element analysis. This includes a detailed account of how we planned, produced, and utilized a video to review the course content at the end of the semester. The analytical case study focused on…

An easily constructed and inexpensive polarimeter with an optical rotation angle resolution of about 0.5° is presented. It is made from small pieces of polarizing film, 2 LEDs, a protractor, and a few wires, all held in place with plastic interlocking toy bricks, such as Lego bricks. The instrument was used to demonstrate the optical rotation of…