Understanding potentiometry is a difficult task when students in initial courses of Analytical Chemistry are first introduced to instrumental techniques. The closest instrument to them is a pH meter, which is frequently used as a "black box", without a real understanding of how it works. Here we present the assembly of jelly modules that…

In both general chemistry and analytical chemistry courses, students are introduced to the concept of predominant species in solution when discussing acid/base chemistry. Speciation diagrams are often used to illustrate the concept and predict the relative abundance of species in solution. Herein, we describe a laboratory experiment for an…

Organic electrosynthesis is an increasingly popular tool for driving and probing redox reactions. Recent advances in this field often employ an electrocatalyst to enhance the selectivity and efficiency of electrochemical reactions. A laboratory experiment was developed to introduce students to relevant mechanistic techniques in electrochemistry…

Electron spin resonance (ESR) or electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is an incisive technique for the characterization of paramagnetic centers in inorganic, bioinorganic, and organic molecules and materials. These measurements are enabled with the help of paramagnetic species, such as organic free radicals and ions, electronically…

A laboratory experiment utilizing locally available Indian Gooseberry ("Phyllanthus emblica" Linn.) extract as a bioreagent to determine iron(III) is described with the goal of providing students with hands-on experience in spectrophotometry and green chemistry. Spectrophotometry was used to measure the concentration of the complex…

This work describes a semester-long learning module designed to equip students with the analytical and practical skills necessary to be successful in an interdisciplinary polymer research environment. This learning module combines laboratory experiments involving both synthesis and materials characterization with lectures in polymer theory, and…

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…

Potentiometric titrations are widely taught in first-year undergraduate courses to connect electrochemistry, stoichiometry, and equilibria and to reinforce acid-base titrations. Students perform a potentiometric titration that is then analyzed to determine analyte concentrations and the solubility product constant of the solid species.

This paper describes a student designed experiment using titrations involving conductivity measurements to identify unknown acids as being either HCl or H[subscript 2]SO[subscript 4], and to determine the concentrations of the acids, thereby improving the utility of standard acid-base titrations. Using an inquiry context, students gain experience…

This paper reports a laboratorial internship included in the Portuguese Science and Technology promotion program "Internships for Young People in Laboratories (Ciência Viva no Laboratório)", which provided high school students an opportunity to approach the reality of scientific and technological research in a higher education…

The definition of the kilogram, the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), has not changed in more than 125 years. The kilogram is still defined by the mass of a Pt-Ir cylinder conserved at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Science and technology have progressed to the point where it is likely the kilogram will be…

Rheological measurements are very important tools for the characterization of the flow and deformation of a material, as well as for optimization of the rheological parameters. The application and acceptance of pharmaceutical formulations, cosmetics, and foodstuffs depends upon their rheological characteristics, such as texture, consistency, or…

Global interest in both renewable energies and reduction in emission levels has placed increasing attention on hydrogen-based fuel cells that avoid harm to the environment by releasing only water as a byproduct. Therefore, there is a critical need for education and workforce development in clean energy technologies. A new undergraduate laboratory…

Superhydrophobic (non water-wettable) surfaces can possess the ability to self-clean (the so-called "lotus effect"). The task of devising the apparatus and method for quantifying this self-cleaning effect was offered as a project in a third-year undergraduate laboratory course. Using commonly available equipment the students devised a…

Protein folding is an exploding area of research in biophysics and physical chemistry. Here, we describe the integration of several techniques, including absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements, to probe important topics in protein folding. Cytochrome c is used as a model…