A multistep synthesis of a novel arylidene 3­(2"H")-furanone has been designed and optimized for the second-year organic laboratory. The three-step sequence consists of a nucleophilic substitution, intramolecular cyclization, and acid-catalyzed aldol condensation, and can be carried out within two 3 h laboratory periods. The final…

In this article, we discuss the replication of a forgotten chemical instrument in the context of undergraduate chemistry education. Together with students, we have attempted to replicate an eighteenth century "eudiometrical" procedure. Eudiometry was the practice of measuring the "goodness" of the air by looking at the volume…

Newton's law of cooling describes an object whose temperature decreases exponentially with time. Because of its many applications, it is a frequent topic of introductory physics labs. In this article, I describe an experiment designed for the freshman year algebra-based physics course that applies this law to answering the question, "Why…

In one of the Faraday's experiments an electric current is induced in a conducting loop when a magnet in front of it moves towards or away from the loop. While the direction of circulation of the electric current in the loop has only two options, it depends on three experimental conditions that generate eight cases. Even though the Faraday law or…

A safe, convenient, and environmentally benign laboratory experiment for the synthesis of biodiesel from six kinds of vegetable oils has been developed for the introductory organic chemistry laboratory. The experiment uses ultrasonic irradiation in the presence of a base catalyst at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Because of safer and…

Ultrafast laser pump-probe spectroscopy is an important and growing field of physical chemistry that allows the measurement of chemical dynamics on their natural time scales, but undergraduate laboratory courses lack examples of such spectroscopy and the interpretation of the dynamics that occur. Here we develop and implement an ultrafast…

A versatile experiment is described for the high school and college laboratory setting based on the synthesis of biobased polymers prepared from inexpensive, renewable, and nonhazardous chemicals. Combinations of readily available citric acid, glycerol, and tapioca root starch are used to prepare three polymeric materials with different observable…

Newton's laws are a ubiquitous topic in introductory physics instruction. One common problem involves asking what will happen if you stick your finger into a cup of water sitting on a scale. A way to solve the problem would be to first recognize that the water exerts a buoyant force upward on the finger, which students can recognize as being the…

The ideal gas law, "PV = nRT," is one of the simplest physical laws in nature that is introduced to students as early as in high school and first year in college. In this equation, "P" stands for pressure, "V" is the volume, "n" is the amount expressed in mole, "T" is the temperature in Kelvin…

Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical techniques are very important for characterizing energy materials. In the search for new sources of renewable energy, water splitting for hydrogen production and CO[subscript 2] reduction is attracting significant attention. These applications require efficient and durable catalysts and a detailed…

The concept of black body is of primary importance in studying the energy transfer of thermal electromagnetic radiation at all wavelengths. Several physical bodies like incandescent lamps, electric heaters, stoves, the sun and the other stars, microwave background radiation, etc., are considered to be black bodies as their radiation spectra fits…

The purpose of this study was to develop a modern experimental apparatus using an Arduino with LabVIEW instead of the classical experiment. The wavelength of the sound was determined using the resonance of an air column. The smartphone app was used to generate the desired frequencies. A sound intensity and ultrasonic sensor was used to read the…

Electrochemistry is primarily taught in first-year undergraduate courses through batteries; this lab focuses instead on corrosion to apply electrochemical concepts of electrolytes, standard reduction potentials, galvanic cells, and other chemistry concepts including Le Chatelier's Principle and Henry's Law. Students investigate galvanic corrosion…

Electrophoresis is integral to analytical and biochemistry experiences in undergraduate education; however, fundamental principles of the method are often taught in upper-level laboratories through hands-on experiences. A laboratory activity is reported that teaches the concepts of electrophoretic mobility and electroosmotic flow. A single…

The conservation law of energy and momentum can be examined and demonstrated by a well-known collision experiment. In this experiment, several identical elastic balls are suspended from a horizontal frame. When the ball at one end is pulled aside and released, thus allowing it to swing like a pendulum, it hits the next ball. The outcome is…