Column chromatography of photosynthetic plant pigments is a common experiment in introductory laboratory courses for science majors and nonscience majors alike. We report a simple, rapid, reproducible, and small-scale solid--liquid extraction of photosynthetic pigments from inexpensive, store-bought dried herbs that affords a dark-green extract…

Cosmetic chemistry is a prevalent part of everyday life, but there are very few undergraduate laboratories that explore this topic. Here, we present a laboratory exercise in which students use fizzing bath tablets (better known as "bath bombs") to learn about introductory kinetics. Students created their own bath bombs by combining…

The redox reaction between dioxovanadium(V) and oxalate is proposed as a suitable system to analyze the kinetics of a twostep reaction mechanism using UV-vis spectroscopy. First, the spectra of dioxovanadium(V) and its reduced counterpart oxovanadium(IV) are compared and explained using the crystal field theory. The change in absorbance can be…

The concept of an atom with an expanded octet, known as hypervalency, has persisted in the general chemistry curriculum, despite abundant theoretical work disputing its veracity. Here, the electronic structure of traditionally hypervalent molecules (H[subscript 2]SO[subscript 3], H[subscript 2]SO[subscript 4], PF[subscript 5], and SF[subscript 6])…

In multielectron atoms or molecules, quantized electronic energy states known as term states provide a framework for interpreting absorption and emission spectra. Enumerating the term states associated with any particular electron configuration is possible using time-honored procedures, but the underpinnings of the methods do not always receive…

The synthesis of 4-amino-3-nitrobenzoic acid methyl ester is a simple Fischer esterification reaction designed as an experiment for use in an introductory organic chemistry course. The compound was synthesized as a one-pot reaction within 30 min to 16 h, with 1 h producing a workable yield. The bright-yellow solid was purified using liquid--liquid…

Flow cytometry has become an important tool in the life sciences and medical fields, yet there are often few opportunities for undergraduate students to receive training with this type of instrumentation as part of life science curricula at many colleges and universities. We describe a straightforward laboratory exercise designed for a…

Raman spectroscopy is an important vibrational spectroscopy tool to characterize chemical compounds. As only a few photons undergo Raman scattering, enhancement of signal is a vital requirement. In this laboratory experiment, some practical aspects of Raman spectroscopy and how a simple enhancement procedure can be used to detect a Raman signal…

Flow cytometry is a versatile and high throughput technique for rapid and efficient biological testing. It requires a high level of conceptual, technical, and analytical skills to properly design experiments, effectively operate flow cytometry machines, and analyze the data. A lack of training and development of any of these three skills can…

The design and operation of the vapor-absorption refrigerator (VAR) are described using the principles and tools typically covered in upper-division undergraduate physical chemistry courses. The objective is to enable students to understand in detail how this device works and how it compares with more typical vapor-compression refrigerators.…

Keto-enol tautomerism is a fundamental concept that examines the migration of a proton between two constitutional isomers, the keto and enol tautomer. Many experiments have been proposed to understand the concept behind Meyer's Rule, which states that the keto tautomer is favored as the solvent polarity increases. However, all the experiments have…

While light microscopy (LM) and virtual microscopy (VM) are valuable pedagogical approaches in histology education, studies comparing their effectiveness have primarily emanated from North America. This research aimed to compare the performance, satisfaction, and perception of Chinese undergraduate dental students enrolled in a histology…

Exposure to nature can improve mental health and cognitive abilities, while creating enhanced engagement with biological course material through interactions with organisms and ecosystems. Remote biology education was suddenly implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic at many universities, and such distance education continues to provide broadened…

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are important for providing undergraduates with authentic research experiences. At Xavier University of Louisiana, a Genetics Laboratory CURE course was developed and implemented. The goals of developing this Genetics CURE laboratory course were: (1) to provide a large number of students the…

This paper presents a comprehensive framework for AI-enhanced curriculum development in rare earth elements (REE) education, addressing critical workforce gaps across K-12, higher education, and veteran transition programs. As global demand for critical minerals escalates amid geopolitical tensions and supply chain vulnerabilities, we propose an…