A comprehensive laboratory-style teaching activity involving the synthesis, characterization, and analysis of structure-activity relationships of metal-organic framework (MOF) nanozymes was developed specifically for undergraduates at Tianjin University. The students acquired familiarity with the general approach in synthesizing MOFs by…

Millions of people do not have access to clean drinking water; thus, cost-efficient water treatment systems are vital. Chemists, environmentalists, technicians, and engineers will be the professionals making breakthroughs in this industry. This laboratory experiment aims to introduce undergraduate students to the removal of pollutants from water…

This laboratory exercise integrates chemistry and biology concepts to give third/fourth-year undergraduate students an opportunity to apply knowledge from different subject areas to address a real-world biomedical issue such as pathogen inhibition using composite materials. It involves the preparation of a bacteria-derived cellulosic biopolymer…

Ultrafast laser spectroscopy is a valuable and increasingly accessible technique for studies of rapid chemical reactions. Critical to ultrafast spectroscopy is the concept of mode locking, a technique that enables a fixed phase relationship between laser modes, resulting in laser pulses with very short duration (in the fs or ps range). Despite the…

Flame Emission Spectroscopy (FES) is a powerful analytical technique widely used for identifying and quantifying elements in various samples. In this laboratory experiment, undergraduate students were introduced to FES and its significance in analytical chemistry. The experiment aimed to provide students with hands-on experience in constructing…

Most chemistry students struggle with interpreting and understanding NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra and the general concepts of NMR spectroscopy. NMR spectroscopy seems to be difficult to both teach and learn. Therefore, the corresponding courses should be investigated in more detail. We conducted a survey with N = 39 German university…

A key part of the practice of chemistry is the analysis of chemical composition, including through gravimetric analysis and spectrophotometry. However, the complexity of doing multiple calculations to obtain analytical evidence, such as that required to determine an empirical formula, presents a challenge if such analytical methods are to be…

[NiBr[subscript 2](PPh[subscript 3])[subscript 2]] and [NiBr[subscript 2](dppe)] are prepared from nickel bromide hydrate and phosphine. These brightly colored coordination compounds are then converted into the related organometallic compounds "trans"-[NiBr(Mes)(PPh[subscript 3])[subscript 2]] and [NiBr(Mes)(dppe)] (Mes =…

Space-related activities remain a fertile environment for classroom applications of chemistry through both traditional lecture styles and through collaborative learning projects. With the resurgence of lunar exploration and the expansion of the commercial space sector, serious scholarship, planning, and resources have been focused on extracting…

The practical two-step synthesis of 1-phenylthiourea is reported here as an undergraduate experiment for the organic synthesis laboratory. The reactions involved in 1-phenylthiourea preparation are very useful didactic examples to illustrate concepts relating to carbonyl substitution and addition, the effect of pH on solubility of organic…

A functionalized fiber (PAN[subscript ADMAP]F) was synthesized by immobilizing "N,N'"-dimethyl-"N"-(4-pyridinyl)-1,3-propanediamine (ADMAP, a DMAP analogue) onto the surface of polyacrylonitrile fibers (PANF). The structure and morphology of the functionalized fibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared…

A one-pot regio- and stereoselective synthesis of a dipyrromethane and a bis(indolyl)methane based on two consecutive reactions of nitrosoalkenes with pyrrole or indole, respectively, is described as an experiment to be carried out by upper-division undergraduate students in a laboratory classroom. Importantly, the ability of electrophilic…

The Beer-Lambert law is a core spectroscopic relationship widely used across the undergraduate chemistry curriculum and beyond. The derivation of this model is a common topic for upper-level chemistry courses. But, due to its abstract nature, this derivation can often seem like a mathematical exercise detached from the molecular origins of…

Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical techniques are very important for characterizing energy materials. In the search for new sources of renewable energy, water splitting for hydrogen production and CO[subscript 2] reduction is attracting significant attention. These applications require efficient and durable catalysts and a detailed…

An apparatus of the 70s for measuring thermal conductivity in different materials is used to visualize, through an infrared thermal imaging approach, temperature fields and the heat diffusion process. The observed temperature profiles also suggest solid grounds for a fair mathematical modelling of this phenomenon.