Green fluorescent protein has long been a favorite protein for demonstrating protein purification in the biochemistry lab course. The protein's vivid green color helps demonstrate to students the concept(s) behind affinity or ion exchange chromatography. We designed a series of introduction to biochemistry labs utilizing a thermostable green…

The dissolution of cobalt­(II) chloride in an appropriate binary alcohol solvent yields an equilibrium mixture, consisting of the differently colored octahedral (pink in color) and tetrahedral (blue in color) cobalt­(II) coordination complexes, which can exhibit a brilliant and reversible pink-to-blue color transition over a ~10 °C window - i.e.,…

A major challenge when designing new experiments for the general chemistry laboratory is introducing students to the necessary techniques while keeping the experiment engaging and accessible. This work presents a new multiweek activity designed to introduce students to advanced instrumentation in the form of high-performance liquid chromatography…

Plant extracts and their components have been reported to have antimicrobial properties against phytopathogens. Although such properties could be harnessed for the development of new pathogen control strategies, there are no standardised methods for their assessment in different extracts. The laboratory exercise presented here involves the use of…

The turn to 'evidence-based education' in the past three decades favours one type of evidence: experiment. Knowledge brokers ground recommendations for classroom practice on reports of experimental research. This paper distinguishes "field" and "laboratory" experiments, on the basis of control and precision of causal…

Liquid metals are widely applied in various fields, including chemistry, catalysis, energy storage, chemical sensing, and stretchable electronics, due to their unique deformabilities. However, their behavior under a rod or ring electrode has never been analyzed. Furthermore, research on the deformation behavior of eutectic Ga--In (EGaIn), the most…

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…

Educational content is consistently adapted to enhance the learning experience of students at all experience and skill levels. Student motivation and accessibility are key factors in teaching science to a broad audience. The presented experiments engage the students by relating the content to that which is immediately relevant to them: the threat…

The laboratory plays a crucial role in science education. However, teacher education for pre-service teachers' design performance in the laboratory is still challenging. This study paved the way for redesigning traditional laboratory teaching into a student-centered approach: inquiry-based design thinking (IBDT). To investigate the impact of the…

Today, immersive technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) are regarded as disruptive tools in many domains, including education. While the body of literature in the field is growing, studies that present contrasting findings are not uncommon. In fact, although there is evidence of the benefits brought by VR in the educational processes, in some…

A multicomponent reaction was adapted and successfully applied in the major organic course, which involves synthesizing and characterizing a 1,3-benzoxazine derived from paracetamol extracted from tablets of the worldwide well-known medicine Tylenol. Using paracetamol as a reagent is a motivational strategy in undergraduate laboratories to meet…

High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is an analytical technique that is typically used by mass spectrometry experts. However, with recent advancements, it is becoming more accessible to students in organic chemistry laboratories. Still, a significant knowledge gap exists between these experts and students. A straightforward laboratory…

The addition of a small excess of triethyl orthoformate to an alcoholic mixture of NiCl[subscript 2]·6H[subscript 2]O and triphenylphosphine (PPh[subscript 3]) results in an increase in the typical isolated yield of [NiCl[subscript 2](PPh[subscript 3])[subscript 2]] from below 50% to over 85%. The impact of water when present in the reaction…

Lakes are artists' pigments made from colorants bound to an inert substrate, usually hydrated aluminum oxide. Before the late 19th century, lakes were made from natural pigments extracted from plants and insects, extracted either directly from the dyestuff or indirectly from waste materials generated in the manufacture of dyed textiles. The first…

Specifications Grading was implemented in a multisection upper-level analytical chemistry laboratory, the first reported for a full lab course redesign in the discipline or in an upper-level chemistry lab class. The primary goals of the redesign were (1) to assess student proficiency of three separate goals: techniques, data quality, and written…