The great development of high-throughput molecular biology techniques and the consequent generation of massive data have made Bioinformatics essential for undergraduate Bioscience students. The importance of this scientific discipline is evidenced by the huge number of specialized publications, tools, and databases available. Training in…

This article describes a simple way to introduce nanomaterials using the presence of carbon nanodots (CNDs) in widely available food. Budweiser® beer and Coca-Cola®, commercial foods that are commonly accessible, were utilized to demonstrate the optical property of nanoparticles. Specifically, green and violet laser pointers were employed for the…

Visualizing molecular conformations and complex compound structures and chemical transformations in 3D is one of the most difficult tasks for undergraduate chemistry students. Modern computational technologies have revolutionized every aspect of our lives, including education. As a result, many researchers and educators are working on enhancing…

Living cells are crowded. The presence of so many macromolecules packed into a confined environment affects the structure and function of biological components, and the kinetics and thermodynamics of biochemical reactions. In fact, crowding studies have already led to important biological insights, such as the existence of metabolons and other…

Integrating knowledge across disciplines has been shown to be a challenging, and yet it is a necessary skill that university students need to develop. Students who are able to connect different concepts, perspectives, and angles of a given topic are generally more engaged and have better understanding. However, designing lesson plans or…

The VSEPR model has well-established limitations in its ability to represent accurate molecular and electronic geometries of simple molecules, which can create a significant need for students to relearn structure and bonding concepts in organic chemistry. We present an alternate method for describing molecular geometries and electronic structures…

A procedure for the solution polymerization of styrene using di-"tert"-butyl peroxide (DTBP) as the initiator is described. The use of DTBP allows for end-group analysis by [superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopy and calculation of the number-average molecular weight of the polymer. This experiment was designed as a laboratory introduction to…

The use of [superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopy to analyze the number-average molecular weight of a methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) and an acetate derivative of this MPEG is described. These analyses illustrate NMR principles associated with the chemical shift differences of protons in different environments, NMR integration, and the effect of…

A simple equation to calculate the oxidation states (oxidation numbers) of individual atoms in molecules and ions may be introduced instead of rules associated with words alone. The equation includes two of three categories of bonds, classified as proposed by Goodstein: number of bonds with more electronegative atoms and number of bonds with less…

Molecular processes are highly complex, and are frequently difficult for high school and college students to comprehend. Because of the importance of visualization in learning, along with formative assessment of student understanding, utilization of 3D modeling software aids both educators and students alike. The activity described below required…

A multi-instrument approach has been applied to the efficient identification of polymers in an upper-division undergraduate instrumental analysis laboratory course. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) is used in conjunction with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to identify 18 polymer samples and…

Widespread adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has created a need to carefully consider how chemistry curricula should support students in understanding the world in terms of atomic/molecular behavior. We argue that Standards-aligned coursework should be "core-ideas centered" due to evidence that curricula embedded…

Laboratories studying the anisotropic rotational diffusion of bromobenzene using nuclear spin relaxation and molecular dynamics simulations are described. For many undergraduates, visualizing molecular motion is challenging. Undergraduates rarely encounter laboratories that directly assess molecular motion, and so the concept remains an…

To improve polymer education for 9-12 and undergraduate students, a plastic electronics laboratory kit using polymer semiconductors has been developed. The three-module kit and curriculum use polymer semiconductors to provide hands-on inquiry activities with overlapping themes of electrical conductivity, light emission, and light-harvesting solar…

A laboratory experiment was designed for upper-level students in a Chemical Analysis course to illustrate the theoretical and practical applications of 0.8% agarose gel electrophoresis and to reinforce an understanding of weak acids/bases using easy-to-visualize pH indicators. The careful choice of indicators included acid and base types with…