Reported herein is a chemistry experiment integrating polymer chemistry and instrumental analysis for the juniors majoring in chemistry. This experiment has a different scheduling framework than traditional experiments with a fixed lab period and schedule. The students arrange their experiment flexibly and individually. Styrene maleic anhydride…

An active-learning approach was employed in a project for our chemistry major students on the synthesis of biodiesel (BD) from an Amazon region oil. The project, involving activities in class and in the laboratory, was given during 8 weeks of the spring semester of 2022. The students were asked about their previous contact with the synthesis and…

Morphology-dependent properties are significant in chemistry and material sciences. This laboratory experiment, designed for upper-division undergraduates in chemistry and related majors, emphasizes the concepts of the shape-controlled synthesis of crystal particles and the influences of crystal particle morphologies on their reaction…

Understanding organic reaction mechanisms can be a challenging task for many undergraduate students, particularly those who are nonchemistry majors, despite the fact that organic chemistry is a mandatory course for numerous science and engineering undergraduate programs. The selectivity of a reaction is largely determined by the distribution and…

Based on four types of laboratory safety questions (chemical, biological, physical, and medical), a cross-sectional survey of students at Kunming University of Science and Technology (China) was carried out to determine the awareness of laboratory safety among university students. The survey was completed by 335 students in total, with a response…

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…

This paper uses the questionnaire to evaluate the current status of laboratory safety perceptions, willingness, and efforts of first-year undergraduates at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology. The survey includes a sample size of 360 undergraduates covering four chemistry-related majors. The…

Little is known concerning chemistry and biochemistry majors' understanding of research and scientific inquiry. In this three-year qualitative research study, chemistry and biochemistry majors were interviewed before and after participating in a National Science Foundation-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at a…

Enzymes provide attractive targets for drug development. Quantitative analysis of enzyme reactions can lead to rational drug discovery. For undergraduates majoring in biochemistry or pharmacy and engaged in drug discovery-related work, it is essential to acquire a comprehensive understanding of enzyme kinetics, including experimental methods and…

Herein, we describe a simple laboratory experiment to address nanomaterial synthesis, plasmon resonance, and its application to detect Cu[superscript 2+] in ultralow concentrations. The proposed experiment is very visual and appealing for chemistry students, especially the undergraduate-level chemistry major. In this experiment, the aggregation of…

The Fundamental Concepts for Organic Reaction Mechanisms Inventory (FC-ORMI) is a concept inventory with most items in a two-tier design in which an answer tier is followed by a reasoning tier. Statistical results provided strong evidence for the validity and reliability of the data obtained using the FC-ORMI. In this study, differential item…

Assessment of student learning within a degree program is an important but challenging endeavor. One goal of a programmatic assessment is to systematically collect evidence for chemistry majors' knowledge and understanding and to use the results to improve curriculum and instruction. Recently, the chemistry department at the United States Naval…

Of the three main subdivisions in chemistry, physical chemistry often presents a challenge when delivered to those not majoring in chemistry or its cognate disciplines. This is, at least in part, due to the seemingly unrelatedness of the subject to students' anticipated career. We describe the redesign of a nested physical chemistry course for…

Academic misconduct is a serious issue among college students, and integrating academic ethics into major courses is expected to help prevent, dissuade, and respond to this issue. With the widespread adoption of flipped classrooms in higher education, it is necessary to explore effective ways to integrate academic ethics into flipped major…

To increase student interest and engagement in introductory chemistry courses for non-science majors, we incorporated a children's book project based on the chemistry discussed in class. Students were given agency in topic, target age range, and book format to encourage creativity, to integrate student interest and major, and to challenge…