Chemicals entering the atmosphere come from a number of sources but, in broad terms, are either from human activity or from the biosphere (natural systems). What happens to these chemicals once in the atmosphere is very important, of course. If they are toxic they can impact on the health of humans, animals and natural ecosystems. Therefore, it is…

Many students find product prediction in ozonolysis reactions of alkenes and alkynes difficult, and they often have greater difficulty discerning the starting compounds when presented with ozonolysis products. The mnemonic device suggested here can help students figure out what the ozonolysis product (or products) will be. Once mastered, this…

This experiment describes a method for cyclohexene oxidation to "trans"-1,2-cyclohexanediol using "p"-toluenesulfonic acid ("p"-TsOH) as promoter and hydrogen peroxide as oxidant in a biphasic system. This method allows conversions up to 97.9% (monitored by [superscript 1]H NMR). "trans"-1,2-Cyclohexanediol was not easily separated from the…

This laboratory experiment provides a safe and effective way to instruct undergraduate organic chemistry students about natural-product extraction, purification, and NMR spectroscopic characterization. On the first day, students extract dried habanero peppers with toluene, perform a pipet silica gel column to separate carotenoids from…

This undergraduate organic laboratory experiment consists of three different reactions occurring in the same flask: a cycloaddition reaction, preceded by decarboxylation and nucleophilic substitution reactions. The decarboxylation and cycloaddition reactions occur using identical Cu(I) catalyst and conditions. Orange, lemon, and other citrus fruit…

We report the student response to a two-year transformation of a one-semester organic chemistry course for nonchemistry majors. The transformed course adopted a peer led team learning approach and incorporated case studies. Student attitudes toward the course transformation were assessed throughout the semester, and adjustments to the methods were…

Two new semiquantitative green chemistry metrics, the green circle and the green matrix, have been developed for quick assessment of the greenness of a chemical reaction or process, even without performing the experiment from a protocol if enough detail is provided in it. The evaluation is based on the 12 principles of green chemistry. The…

The connection between the molecular-level structure of a substance and its macroscopic properties is a fundamental concept in chemistry. Students in college-level general and organic chemistry courses were interviewed to investigate how they used structure-property relationships to predict properties such as melting and boiling points. Although…

The purpose of the current study is to explore the impact of associating animations with concrete models on eleventh-grade students' comprehension of different visual representations in organic chemistry. The study used a post-test control group quasi-experimental design. The experimental group (N = 28) used concrete models, submicroscopic…

Many traditional organic chemistry lab courses do not adequately help students to develop the professional skills required for creative, independent work. The overarching goal of the new organic chemistry lab series at Seattle University is to teach undergraduates to think, perform, and behave more like professional scientists. The conversion of…

Several articles suggest how to incorporate computer models into the organic chemistry laboratory, but relatively few papers discuss how to incorporate these models broadly into the organic chemistry lecture. Previous research has suggested that "manipulating" physical or computer models enhances student understanding; this study…

An approach using Google Groups as method for distributing student-acquired NMR data has been implemented. We describe how to configure NMR spectrometer software so that data is uploaded to a laboratory section specific Google Group, thereby removing bottlenecks associated with printing and processing at the spectrometer workstation. Outside of…

A multistep experiment for an advanced synthesis lab course that incorporates topics in organic-inorganic synthesis and catalysis and highlights green chemistry principles was developed. Students synthesized two "N"-heterocyclic carbene ligands, used them to prepare two well-defined copper(I) complexes and subsequently utilized the complexes as…

A student achievable synthesis of bisphenol Z, 4,4'-(cyclohexane-1,1-diyl)diphenol, from the acid-catalyzed reaction of phenol with cyclohexanone is presented. The experiment exemplifies all the usual pedagogy for the standard topic of electrophilic aromatic substitution present in the undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum, while providing…

In this experiment, students individually conduct one of several variations of an E2 dehydrohalogenation reaction on a cyclohexyl halide substrate for 30 min, which is sufficient only for a partial reaction to occur. The variations examine reaction conditions including different leaving groups, decreased reaction temperature, or reduced base…