Persistent drug seeking/taking behavior involves the consolidation of memory. With each drug use, the memory may be reactivated and reconsolidated to maintain the original memory. During reactivation, the memory may become labile and susceptible to disruption; thus, molecules involved in plasticity should influence acquisition and/or…

Various one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments have been found to be extremely useful for assigning the proton and carbon NMR spectra of glycidol. The technique provides extremely valuable information aiding in the complete assignment of the peaks.

The effective use of fluorescence spectroscopy for determining the binding of the intercalcating agent crhidium bromide to DNA is being described. The analysis used simple measurement techniques and hence can be easily adopted by the students for a better understanding.

The glycated hemoglobin blood test, usually designated as the A[subscript 1c] test, is a key measure of the effectiveness of glucose control in diabetics. The chemistry of glucose in the bloodstream, which underlies the test and its impact, provides an illustration of the importance of chemical equilibrium and kinetics to a major health problem.…

The logic and experimental data are described with which chemists originally deduced the formulas of the fundamental compounds such as H[subscript 2], H[subscript 2]O, Cl[subscript 2], NH[subscript 3], CH[subscript 4], and HCl. This information is never provided in current texts at any level and the formulas of such simple compounds are taken as…

We present a laboratory procedure, suitable for high school and undergraduate students, for preparing and studying propane clathrate hydrate. Because of their gas storage potential and large natural deposits, gas clathrate hydrates may have economic importance both as an energy source and a transportation medium. Similar to pure ice, the gas…

A simple and relatively inexpensive procedure for preparing a biologically active peptide using solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) is described. Fourth-year undergraduate students have gained firsthand experience from the solid-phase synthesis techniques and they have become familiar with modern analytical techniques based on the particular…

Explains molecular graphics, i.e., the application of computer graphics techniques to investigate molecular structure, function, and interaction. Structural models and molecular surfaces are discussed, and a theoretical model that can be used for the evaluation of intermolecular interaction energies for organometallics is described. (45…

Single-walled carbon nanotubes that were chemically altered to be water soluble are shown to enter fibroblasts, T cells, and HL60 cells. Nanoparticles adversely affect immortalized HaCaT human keratinocyte cultures, indicating that they may enter cells.

Atomic force microscope (AFM) investigates mechanically the chemical properties of individual molecules, surfaces, and materials using suitably designed probes. The current state of the art of AFM in terms of imaging, force measurement, and sample manipulation and its application to physical chemistry is discussed.

A few flawed predictions in the context of homonuclear diatomic molecules are presented in order to introduce students to molecular orbital (MO) theory. A common misrepresentation of the relationship between the energy of an atomic orbital and the energy of the MO associated with the atomic orbital is illustrated.

The intermolecular interaction of one enantiomer with a chiral auxiliary molecule may differ from the interaction of the other enantiomer with the same auxiliary molecule, explained by the example of unequal handshakes. This methodology helps present a lecture to the students that emphasizes the basic similarity of the association-based…

Fabrication techniques are the foundation of physical technology, and are thus of fundamental interest. Physical principles indicate that nanoscale systems will be able to fabricate a wide range of structures, operating with high productivity and precise molecular control. Advanced systems of this kind will require intermediate generations of…

The application of computational methods to the isomerization of hydrogen isocyanide to hydrogen cyanide, HNC-HCN is described. The logical extension to the exercise is presented to the isomerization of the methyl-substituted compounds, methylisocyanide and methylcyanide, Ch[subscript 3]NC-CH[subscript3]CN.

An analysis of relatively new terminology that has given multiple definitions often resulting in students learning principles that are actually false is presented with an example of the new term stereogenic atom introduced by Mislow and Siegel. The Mislow terminology would be useful in some cases if it were used precisely and correctly, but it is…