A broadly applicable semester-long course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE)-inspired organic II laboratory course was developed from an engaging story supported by the current literature surrounding paraben use in consumer products. The project involves the synthesis of brominated parabens followed by an investigation into the…

Photomicrographs are representations of small-scale entities. It has been long argued that students can be weak in perceiving microscopic entities compared to macroscopic entities. However, only a small body of research has investigated how students utilise photomicrographs to make sense of biological phenomena. This study uses a theoretical…

Science labs should promote reasoning that resembles the work that scientists do. However, this is often not the case. We present a lab in which students strive to find out which of two models best describes a physics experiment. The quantification of measurement uncertainties--another topic that is often neglected in high school…

Drought is a major environmental stress factor that affects the growth and development of plants. All plants have to maintain the reactive oxygen species within certain levels for normal cellular homeostasis by means of their antioxidant systems, which can be classified as enzymatic and non-enzymatic. Plants under drought stress generate an excess…

Fractional distillation is part of the essential experimental techniques taught to first-year chemistry students, especially during practical organic chemistry work. The characterization of the distillate generally involves measuring the boiling temperature, the refractive index, or the infrared spectrum. In this paper, an unknown mixture composed…

This work describes a complete laboratory experiment that involves the synthesis of a ruthenium complex [Ru(p-cym)(NHC)Cl[subscript 2]] (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) and its use as a catalyst for the coupling of hydrosilanes and alcohols. The hydrogen gas produced in the reaction is measured using an inverted buret to trap the gas which allows…

A simple measurement of the refractive index of a liquid has been performed using a spherical lens. This lens is a spherical shape flask containing the liquid under study. Parallel pointer laser beams are directed to the lens to obtain the back focal length of the lens. The focal point is determined visually or using the Tracker software to…

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic results in the suspension of universities' academic laboratory activities. This brought a difficult time for graduate students majored in molecular biology and their mentors, since the student's thesis progress relies on the data from wet experiments in the lab. Even facing the challenges during the pandemic,…

Trace metals when present in crude oil or fuels are of economic significance in refining and to the combustion engines that use them. Herein, we develop a laboratory activity that trains students on how to analyze crude oil samples for ash and trace metal content while giving them the opportunity to acquire skills needed as a quality control…

This laboratory practice is intended for undergraduate students of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, to illustrate the simple concepts behind dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and how basic chemistry can be translated into a practical application through the use of microcontrollers. Unlike commercial counterparts, one of the main…

Students learned the principles and practice of photometry through project-based learning. They addressed the challenge of measuring the unknown concentration of a colored substance using a photometer they were required to design, build, and test. Then, they used that instrument to carry out the experiment and fulfill the challenge. A photometer…

This paper describes a student laboratory in the Unit Operations Laboratory at the Colorado School of Mines: air separation by pressure swing adsorption. The flexibility of the system enables students to study the production of enriched nitrogen or oxygen streams. Automatic data acquisition permits the study of cycle steps and performance.…

A novel method of measuring the coefficients of kinetic and rolling friction is proposed. The method is simple to implement and reliable. Samples of measurements and calculations are presented.

Gas-phase nitrogen oxides are important in the formation of tropospheric ozone. NO[subscript x] (NO and NO[subscript 2]) as well as tropospheric ozone have been shown to have negative effects on human health. Therefore, accurately measuring NO[subscript x] concentrations in the atmosphere is important. In this laboratory experience, students…

This study aims to design a mechanism with which the density of any solid or liquid can be determined without measuring its mass and volume in order to help students comprehend the concept of density more easily. The "solidensimeter" comprises of two scaled and nested glass containers (graduated cylinder or beaker) and sufficient water.…