Functional group analysis is an essential part of the curriculum for identifying unknown organic compounds. However, traditional methods of analyzing functional groups use excess reagents and generate a large amount of waste material that is difficult to dispose of. This work is focused on alternative methods for detecting functional groups such…

Paal--Knorr reactions are a classical method for synthesizing pyrroles, using 1,4-dicarbonyl compound and amine as reactants. It has the characteristics of green chemistry, as only two molecules of water are lost. In this teaching and learning experiment, 2,5-hexanedione and 4-"tert"-butylaniline were used to synthesize…

Organic chemistry is challenging for novices as it involves a large quantity of organic reactions. Effective learning requires not only profound theoretical knowledge but also the ability to reason about causal mechanisms. This study investigated pre-service chemistry teachers' mechanistic reasoning and the implicit cognitive process. Participants…

Education in organic chemistry is highly reliant on molecular representations. Students abstract information from representations to make sense of submicroscopic interactions. This study investigates relationships between differing representations: bond-line structures, ball-and-stick, or electrostatic potential maps (EPMs), and predicting partial…

The urea cycle disorder drug glycerol phenylbutyrate (Ravicti) is presently one of the most expensive medications in the United States, with annual costs estimated at $800,000 as of 2023. An expedient synthesis of this orphan drug was successfully adapted for the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. Activation of 4-phenylbutyric acid with…

The ability to extract structural information from a drawing of a molecule is key to being successful in organic chemistry. One source of difficulty for novices in interpreting structures is that hydrogens bound to carbon are represented implicitly in the often-used line-angle structures. Other representations that explicitly show hydrogens, such…

Approximations can help to orient the student in an organic chemistry laboratory. There the student needs to develop the solvent systems for the reaction and isolation of organic reactants and products. The adage "like dissolves like" helps in this regard, but this approach is vague and entirely qualitative. More quantitative approaches…

The course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) approach is increasingly being used in undergraduate experimental courses. Here, we describe the implementation of CURE in an upper-level inorganic chemistry course, in which students were assigned different current themes to study. This paper focuses on the theme of quantum dots,…

In this two-session experiment for an organic chemistry lab, students prepare a macrocyclic host compound--namely, a pillar[5]arene--by means of a templated 1,4-dimethoxybenzene/formaldehyde cyclo-oligomerization (session 1), and then, they explore its molecular recognition properties toward the 1,8-diaminooctane guest with the aid of [superscript…

In primary organic chemistry, students learn about the dehydration of ethanol to ethylene with concentrated sulfuric acid. Similar reactions(the dehydration of alcohols) exist in nature. For example, various alkenes with aromas are synthesized from linalool, a monoterpene tertiary alcohol. In this laboratory experiment, we report experiments…

In this second-semester organic chemistry lab experiment, students work collaboratively using a combination of chemical synthesis and NMR spectroscopy to investigate the diastereoselectivity associated with the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction of two ketone substrates having carbonyl groups flanked by an [alpha]-chiral carbon with…

Herein, we present an integrated upper division chemistry laboratory experiment involving the synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of catalytic metal--organic frameworks (MOFs). Experiments are designed to facilitate the solvothermal synthesis and characterize MOFs, including UiO-66, UiO-66-NH[subscript 2], and UiO-66-NO[subscript 2]. The…

Normal phase thin layer chromatography is a widely taught technique in undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory courses. To understand how the technique works, students must have a strong conceptual understanding of polarity and intermolecular forces. Unfortunately, many students have misconceptions regarding how polarity and intermolecular…

Appealing to students' affect in academic settings, such as demonstrating chemistry's relevance to their life, is one strategy instructors may use to support students' in learning. This study investigates the types of connections that students make to organic chemistry when responding to an open-ended writing assignment. Students enrolled in an…

Despite representations' central role in conveying chemical phenomena, mastering them is not trivial, given the wide variety of different conventions to interpret and use them. Furthermore, instructional approaches and materials may overlook explicit discussion on how students should reason with representations. To gather evidence that could guide…