A versatile experiment is described for the high school and college laboratory setting based on the synthesis of biobased polymers prepared from inexpensive, renewable, and nonhazardous chemicals. Combinations of readily available citric acid, glycerol, and tapioca root starch are used to prepare three polymeric materials with different observable…

A safe, convenient, and environmentally benign laboratory experiment for the synthesis of biodiesel from six kinds of vegetable oils has been developed for the introductory organic chemistry laboratory. The experiment uses ultrasonic irradiation in the presence of a base catalyst at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Because of safer and…

The purpose of this study was to develop a modern experimental apparatus using an Arduino with LabVIEW instead of the classical experiment. The wavelength of the sound was determined using the resonance of an air column. The smartphone app was used to generate the desired frequencies. A sound intensity and ultrasonic sensor was used to read the…

In 1849, Hippolyte Fizeau determined the speed of light in a famous experiment. The idea was to measure the time taken for a pulse of light to travel between an intense light source and a mirror about 8 km away. A rotating cogwheel with 720 notches, that could be rotated at a variable speed, was used to chop the light beam and determine the flight…

The CERN Beamline for Schools Competition gives high school students the opportunity to perform an experiment of their design using the T9 facility. Our team, 'Relatively Special', was fortunate enough to be joint winners of this global event and travel to CERN for a unique adventure. This paper gives an account of our story including the…

Laboratory work in physics has traditionally focused on the verification of facts, theories and laws. In contrast, this article describes how laboratory tasks can be used to promote students understanding about the nature of science and scientific inquiry. In the project reported here, students learn about measurement uncertainties and a…

This work describes an effective, low cost method to anodize small aluminum objects. The use of a PVC spacer between the anode and cathode significantly reduces the size of the electrochemical cell and electrolyte required for its operation. Students will explore the physical and chemical properties of aluminum and anodized aluminum. They will…

In classroom science laboratories, unlike a real science laboratory, the teacher can guide students away from potential dead ends and toward data that are most likely to result in accurate conclusions. Sometimes, though, allowing students to pursue dead ends and to collect "bad" data can provide especially rich learning opportunities.…

A signature of life is that biological molecules occur as a single stereoisomer with respect to each chiral center, and this is echoed in the structures of biological polymers. Thus, circular dichroism (CD) has emerged as a hallmark of biomolecular structures. The tangible and familiar phenomenon of raw egg white's conversion from transparent…

Constructing student's scientific literacy is still a challenge for the developing country. PISA 2015 report on scientific literacy showed that Indonesia was positioned at 62th out of 70 countries. According to this result, the students are only able to explain the simple science phenomenon because some learning activities have not followed good…

Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is one of the basic analytical procedures in chemistry and allows the demonstration of various chemical principles in an educational setting. An often-overlooked aspect of TLC is the capability to quantify isolated target compounds in an unknown sample. Here, we present a suitable route to implement quantitative…

Chemical kinetic experiments to determine rate laws are common in high school and college chemistry courses. For reactions involving a color change, rate laws can be determined experimentally using spectrophotometric or colorimetric equipment though this equipment can be cost prohibitive. Previous work demonstrated that inexpensive handheld camera…

Thanks to their unique physicochemical properties (e.g., surface plasmon resonance), noble metal nanoparticles are at the cornerstone of nanotechnology. Silver triangular nanoprisms are presented here as an ideal playground to introduce students to nanochemistry concepts such as the formation of shape-controlled nanostructures. Not only a reliable…

Chemical engineering is rarely encountered before higher-level education in the U.S. or in Europe, leaving prospective students unaware of what an applied chemistry or chemical engineering degree entails. In this lab experiment, we report the implementation of a three-day course to showcase chemical engineering principles for 16-17 year olds…

This paper describes the development of a simple handmade conductivity measurement apparatus based on a Kohlrausch bridge with inexpensive materials. We have examined the reliability of this apparatus with standard solutions and then measured juices of vegetables and fruits as well as a sports drink. Comparisons to total alkali content as…