The construction of a simple and inexpensive water-jacketed cuvette for the Spectronic 20 is described. This cuvette is utilized to determine the activation energy of the reaction between crystal violet and hydroxide ion spectrophotomerically.

The analytical system to teach the subtleties of assaying alpha-dicarbonyl compounds in wine is described. Spectrophotometry is determined to be minimally useful in the experiment where the GC-MS (methyglyoxal) method proved to be ideal to confirm that the compounds analyzed in the wine samples were indeed the glyoxals based on the formation of…

The electronic properties of Cu(II) complex with proline are considered to demonstrate the Cotton effect in the visible region. A series of experiments in optical rotatory dispersion spectroscopy with free D- and L-proline and their complexes with the Cu(II) ion in aqueous solution is suggested.

To help students develop an understanding of the proper use and function of spectrographs and monochromators we describe a student-assembled spectrograph using a "webcam" detector. The apparatus also works well as a low-cost demonstration, helping students make connections between an atomic spectrum observed by eye and a plot of the relative…

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS or simply MALDI) has become ubiquitous in the identification and analysis of biomacromolecules. As a technique that allows for the molecular weight determination of otherwise nonvolatile molecules, MALDI has had a profound impact in the molecular…

The stereochemical investigation is conducted to give students the combined experience of chemical synthesis of amines and N-heterocycles and structural stereochemical analysis using NMR spectroscopy. Students are introduced to the concept of topicity-stereochemical relationships between ligands within a molecule by synthesizing N,O-acetals.

Beer's law is an ideal technique that works only in certain situations. A method for dealing with more complex conditions needs to be integrated into the analytical chemistry curriculum. For that reason, the capabilities and limitations of two common chemometric algorithms, classical least squares (CLS) and principal component regression (PCR),…

Seven p-nitrophenyl benzoate esters (p-nitrophenyl benzoate, p-nitrophenyl m-anisate, p-nitrophenyl p-anisate, p-nitrophenyl m-chlorobenzoate, p-nitrophenyl p-chlorobenzoate, p-nitrophenyl m-toluate, p-nitrophenyl p-toluate) were synthesized and characterized by students in a second-semester organic laboratory course. In a subsequent laboratory…

The increase in NMR relaxation rates as a result of dissolved paramagnetic species on the sample of superoxygenated drinking water is demonstrated. It is concluded that oxygen content in NMR samples is an important issue and can give rise to various problems in the interpretation of both spectroscopic and NMR imaging or relaxation experiments.

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 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.

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…

Digital versatile disks (DVDs) have successfully made up an inexpensive but high-resolution spectroscope suitable for classroom experiments that can easily be made with common material and gives clear and fine spectra of various light sources and colored material. The observed spectra can be photographed with a digital camera, and such images can…

The S[subscript N]2 reaction of 1-bromohexane and 1-bromobutane with potassium acetate is introduced to address the shortage of suitable laboratory experiments in organic laboratory. The experiment offers a review of some common laboratory techniques including the use of infrared spectroscopy to identify functional groups, the use of GC-MS…

This article describes a discovery experiment for general chemistry and organic chemistry labs. Although the pinacol rearrangement has been employed in undergraduate organic laboratories before, in this application organic chemistry students act as mentors to students of general chemistry. Students work together using distillation--a new technique…