A simple, safe, and easy demonstration of the reaction of sodium peroxide with water is presented. The reaction is performed in a plastic bottle by adding water to sodium peroxide supported in a rubber "thimble"; oxygen is detected by the reignition of a glowing splint, while the generation of sodium hydroxide is indicated by…

An adipic acid esterification experiment suitable for graduate students has been developed to describe the industrial manufacture of plasticizers. Students first follow the progress of the reaction with simple acid/base titration enabling measurement of the acid number. During the workup of the reaction mixture, they learn how to manage the…

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…

Given the severe pollution caused by traditional plastics, biodegradable plastic products (BPPs) have received great attention and are appearing in people's lives in the form of packaging bags, tableware, etc. Whether a wide variety of BPPs can truly degrade depends on the environment. Aerobic composting is the arbitration method to evaluate the…

In recent years, the food industry has been undergoing major changes driven by new social and environmental demands. Nowadays, biodegradable packaging is perceived as the most feasible alternative for food packaging. Great efforts are being devoted to the development of new materials from agro-industrial wastes and byproducts that are opening new…

NMR spectroscopy is a powerful spectroscopic tool that not only allows the determination of structures after synthesis, as usually explained to students of Organic Chemistry, but also is useful in many other fields such as medicine imaging, real-time industrial processes, material sciences, or metabolomics. In this experiment, students performed a…

This article describes low-cost well plates that can be used as alternative kits for microscale experiments. Although ordinary well plates are useful and convenient for microscale experiments, they are not cheap. We have developed well plates composed of plastic bottle caps with approximately 3cm diameter and cardboard containers. Plastic bottle…

Calorimetry is a central concept in the first semester general chemistry curriculum, and constant pressure (coffee-cup) calorimetry is a common experiment in the laboratory. However, constant volume (bomb) calorimetry is traditionally reserved for the physical chemistry laboratory. This article describes the advantages of incorporating bomb…

With the increase of waste paper, environmental pollution and atmospheric impact have become global problems. The cellulose contained in waste paper has the advantages of being renewable and biodegradable and can be applied to many fields to achieve sustainable development. At present, thermal management materials, as a new type of material, have…

Polymer chemistry is essential within chemical education because of its applications in academic and industrial research, materials science, and across engineering disciplines. Teaching polymer chemistry principles early on in the undergraduate curriculum allows students to find connections between chemistry and real-world applications and can…

The essential component of expanding an undergraduate curriculum is the inclusion of lab experiments in nanoscience and nanomaterials, which significantly impact health and the environment through their use in food, cosmetics, agriculture, and medicine. We designed a laboratory experiment based on the atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis of the…

We implemented research-based learning (RBL) as an alternative to traditional frontal classroom lectures and laboratory sessions to impart knowledge on the emerging topic of microplastics in soil to students. The RBL module aimed at studying how microplastics (MPs) affect soil processes. We designed low-cost, small-scale and simple experiments for…

Polymer Chemistry is a subject in the Chemistry Programs, student have a natural curiosity about polymeric materials, that we use in our everyday activities. Our proposal is to apply cooperative learning in the Interfacial polymerization of Nylon 6,10 experimentation. The specific objectives of our project can be summarized as: To identify the…

As e-commerce increases, the demand for packaging materials and the potential for generating waste and negative environmental impacts also rise. Packing peanuts are a type of plastic packaging material that are used to protect goods during the shipping process. Petroleum-based plastics are common packaging materials due to their low cost, light…

Hands-on learning is a staple in high school science education, as it provides students with a fast-learning curve and a great degree of field competency. However, due to the safety risks associated with high school students in university chemistry laboratory settings, high school students rarely engage in authentic hands-on chemical learning. To…