How do cultural heritage scientists and art conservators identify pigments and other painting media in a decorated object or painting, preferably without taking samples that could potentially damage the artwork? A major emphasis in the characterization, authentication, and conservation of works of art and cultural heritage objects is the use of…

In addressing the need for safer and more accessible chemistry lab procedures, this work integrates green chemistry and small-scale chemistry concepts to serve as a laboratory model for both qualitative and quantitative analyses of iron(III). An aqueous extract of Indian gooseberry is utilized as a natural reagent to form a complex with iron(III),…

A laboratory experiment is described in which students synthesize silver nanospheres and transform them into other anisotropic morphologies (decahedral and disks) through a photochemical process. The photochemical transformation was followed by visible spectroscopy, and the resulting morphologies were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy.…

From a physical point of view, the "partial pressure" of a component "i" in a gas mixture is defined as the contribution of molecules "i" to the force per unit area that the molecules of the mixture exert on the wall. The relation pi = x[subscript i]P (where x[subscript i] is the mole fraction of "i" and…

This article aims to introduce the actinides and some aspects of nuclear chemistry to teachers and their students. The actinides are a group of f-block elements with atomic numbers from 90 to 103. (The term 'actinoids' encompasses both the actinides and actinium itself). All of the actinides are radioactive but they also have a rich inorganic…

All analytical techniques are governed by the principles of physical chemistry, and chromatography is certainly no exception. By examining the underlying concepts of size exclusion chromatography (SEC), students can gain greater appreciation of and insight into the science and utility of thermodynamics, as well as solution properties of…

Scientific argumentation, as conceptualized in the literature, emphasizes the importance of students' social and epistemic interactions for the purposes of developing and critiquing knowledge. Students, therefore, must understand the scientific criteria for evaluating the quality of argumentative structures and interactions. Yet, a question…

The purpose of this study was to delve into the interaction between pre-service chemistry teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and content knowledge (CK) while teaching electrochemistry. Two pre-service chemistry teachers enrolled in practice teaching course in chemistry education program participated in the study. All PCK components were…

Technology and validation methods for producing biodiesel have been updated and have kept advancing. Creative raw materials used in producing environmentally friendly biodiesels have also attracted interest from scientists. Thus, learning and teaching methods on biodiesel production at the high school level need to be up to date. However, there…

The correct use of micropipettes has been investigated in an undergraduate, introductory lab experiment intended for chemistry and biology majors. This lab experiment involves the use of micropipettes for accurately mixing, transferring, and applying a specific amount of dye to a cotton bandana. The data resulting from this experiment is a color…

The unplanned shift to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic challenged many instructors teaching large-enrollment courses to design learning environments that actively engaged all students. We looked at how one instructor used her instructional team--a group of student assistants with diverse, structured responsibilities--to adapt her…

This article looks at the effects of environmental factors such as classification, residence location, and employment status of Hispanic students who unsuccessfully completed first-semester general chemistry (Chem I) at a Hispanic-Serving or emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution. Students' automaticity skills in arithmetic and quantitative…

Concept maps are powerful tools used to reveal challenges in students' learning. However, their use introduces complexities when a large group of students' conceptualizations need to be examined. In this study, concept maps of 344 general chemistry students were analyzed after grouping them based on achievement in chemistry, math proficiency, and…

Organic reaction mechanisms are often represented by the electron-pushing formalism and reaction coordinate diagrams. These representations pose a challenge to students because valuable information is encoded within each representation, and students must know how to reason about mechanisms using both. Hence, it is important to understand whether…

In order to fully appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of energy resources, there is a need to understand pertinent issues from other viewpoints besides a purely chemistry perspective. In this paper, the teaching of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and business databases as part of CM4282: Energy Resources at the Department of Chemistry, National…