Tells the story of an experiment conducted by Galileo and proves that a light pebble and a heavy rock travel with equal speed when dropped from the same distance and touch the ground at the same time. Indicates the importance of open-mindedness and tolerance. First published in 1939. (YDS)

Epoxide chemistry is widely used in organic synthesis and regularly discussed in organic chemistry textbooks. An experiment to generate dimethyldioxirane in situ from acetone using Oxone is explained.

The experiment describes the regioselective synthesis of a stereodefined push-pull alkene from inexpensive chemicals. Important concepts in organic chemistry, such as resonance theory and role of solvent polarity on formation of intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds, which affect the configuration of the double bond in predictable way are…

A survey of progress made over the past ~30 years (1970 - 2004) to improve the reliability of surface analyses by XPS is presented. The basic principles of XPS are very simple yet there is considerable complexity in designing experiments, interpreting data, and analyzing the results for the many different modes of operation and many different…

An experiment that highlights the role electrochemistry plays in the fabrication of nanoscale structures is presented. The movement and alignment of the nickel nanowires were observed, when manipulated using magnetic fields through the lens of an optical microscope using common magnets to alter the applied magnetic field.

An experiment is presented that introduces students to nanotechnology through the preparation of nanoparticles and their visualization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experiment familiarizes the students with nonaqueous solvents, biphasic reactions, phase-transfer agents, ligands to stabilize growing nanoparticles, and bidentate…

The technique for producing quantum-sized zinc oxide (ZnO) particles is much safer than a technique that used hydrogen sulfide gas to produce cadmium sulfide and zinc sulfide nanoparticles. A further advantage of this method is the ability to sample the solution over time and hence determine the growth kinetics.

A facile synthesis of two gold(I) complexes with 1,2-benzenedithiolate ligand and two different bidentate phosphines are described. A detailed sequence of NMR experiments is suggested to determine the structure of the compounds.

An examination of the two proteins, namely, cytochrome c from horse and cow is conducted and it is indicated that cytochrome c is a mitochondrial protein. Mitochondria multiply by cell division and do not undergo sexual reproduction and mitochondria DNA is passed on via the mitochondria that are inherited from the female parent organism.

The reduction of ethyl acetoacetate using common baker's yeast is a traditional experiment that shows the stereoselective power of a biochemical system. Addition of organic solvents to aqueous reaction system increased the yields and reproducibility of the experiment thus overcoming the two problems associated with the experiment, low yield, and…

Dess-Martin periodinane oxidation is an experiment that provides an avenue to the introduction of Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in organic chemistry curriculum as a diagnostic tool for examination of the results of a familiar reaction, and absolute configuration. From the experiment, students increased their understanding of CD theory and…

Enzymatic methods are used to measure cholesterol levels but a simple and inexpensive method is described, which is particularly important when one has repeated lab sessions during the week. It can be carried out on the organic phase containing the lipids, without evaporating the solvent, yielding quick results.

Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation is developed that focuses on the varying enantiomeric excess of the product diols based on the structures of the alkenes being oxidized. The experimental sequence enables investigation of this reaction in terms of the different chiral ligands being used.

A chemical analysis of lotions, which comprises of categorizations of moisturizers and emulsions, with the preparation and testing of three lotions, is done. The experiment piques students' interest in preparing lotions and emulsions, and proves the value of chemistry in satisfying the needs of everyday life.

The rule of corresponding states, which shows the connection between the thermodynamic properties of various liquids is re-examined. The overall likeness is observed by using an updated scaling technique of Lennard-Jones corresponding states (LJ-CS).