This report describes a laboratory experiment for an undergraduate-level inorganic chemistry or biochemistry course involving the study of the kinetics of the catecholase activity of a synthetic nickel­(II)-oximate complex. A model substrate, 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol(DBC), undergoes aerobic oxidation to 3,5-di-tert-butylbenzoquinone (DBQ) in the…

This experimental lab set is for students taking college chemistry courses. It includes four laboratory works and completely illustrates the important parts of chemical kinetics, namely the determination of the rate constant and the determination of the factors influencing its value. They can be used in a laboratory set for a physical chemistry…

We report here a successful adaptation of lab videos used during remote instruction to a kinetics experiment reported in this Journal in 2007. In the in-person lab, students now record their rate data on their cell phone cameras and then collect their data from the videos for their postlab reports; previously, they acquired the data in real time…

A laboratory class was developed and evaluated to illustrate the synthesis of metal nanoclusters (NCs) and to explain their photoluminescence properties for the case of silver. The described experiment employs a synthetic protocol that consists of two sequential phases in a single reaction pot: the reduction of silver ions into plasmonic silver…

Millions of people do not have access to clean drinking water; thus, cost-efficient water treatment systems are vital. Chemists, environmentalists, technicians, and engineers will be the professionals making breakthroughs in this industry. This laboratory experiment aims to introduce undergraduate students to the removal of pollutants from water…

The redox reaction between dioxovanadium(V) and oxalate is proposed as a suitable system to analyze the kinetics of a twostep reaction mechanism using UV-vis spectroscopy. First, the spectra of dioxovanadium(V) and its reduced counterpart oxovanadium(IV) are compared and explained using the crystal field theory. The change in absorbance can be…

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR),as a multielectron electrode reaction, is an important electrochemical reaction in the field of electrochemical energy storage systems. Herein, a new advanced electrochemical laboratory experiment is designed for undergraduates to master the preparation of oxygen reduction catalytic electrode. Students can use…

A laboratory experiment that exposes students to fundamental concepts in kinetics and statistical thermodynamics to study systems of great current interest in nanotechnology by employing a foundational technique in physical chemistry is described. A modified commercial flash photolysis spectrometer was used to study photoinduced isomerization…

This paper describes an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory module consisting of a set of experiments designed around a purification scheme for bovine serum albumin (BSA). Students purify BSA from cow plasma by a combination of salt and acetone precipitation, equilibrium dialysis, ion exchange, and size exclusion chromatography. Students use the…

Enzyme kinetics is an essential topic in undergraduate Biochemistry courses. A laboratory work that covers the principal basic concepts of enzyme kinetics in steady state is presented. The alkaline phosphatase catalyzed reaction of phenyl-phosphate hydrolysis was studied as a model. The laboratory experience was designed to reinforce the concepts…

In order to introduce students to the fascinating field of femtochemistry, we propose here a practical laboratory training course conceived for second-year master's students in chemistry. We describe the use of a broadband femtosecond transient absorption (pump-probe) experiment for monitoring a fast light-triggered chemical reaction in solution.…

We have developed a laboratory project in which students prepare liposomes, expose them to hyperosmotic and hypoosmotic solutions, and follow the resulting shrinking and swelling (respectively) with laser light scattering. Each light intensity transient can be fit to an exponential decline or rise, with the decay constant (k) and the amplitude…

Here we present a new undergraduate laboratory that will introduce the concepts of time-resolved spectroscopy and provide insight into the natural time scales on which chemical dynamics occur through direct measurement. A quantitative treatment of the acquired data will provide a deeper understanding of the role of quantum mechanics and various…

In 1972 Christian B. Anfinsen received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "…his work on ribonuclease, especially concerning the connection between the amino acid sequence and the biologically active conformation." The understanding of this principle is crucial for physical biochemistry students, since protein folding studies, bio-computing…

A versatile and portable apparatus was developed to demonstrate exciting visual displays of catalytic phenomena that introduce basic concepts in catalysis, renewable energy, and chemical safety, in order to pique scientific curiosity in a variety of audiences including middle and high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, and the…