Dess-Martin periodinane oxidation is an experiment that provides an avenue to the introduction of Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in organic chemistry curriculum as a diagnostic tool for examination of the results of a familiar reaction, and absolute configuration. From the experiment, students increased their understanding of CD theory and…

Students in the general chemistry course are advised to scrutinize data obtained by gas chromatograph (GC) for segregation, and mass spectroscopy (MS) for recognizing combination of group 6 transition-metal carbonyl compounds. The GC-MS method arouses students' interest, as it can be applied to real-world situations, such as the routine…

The low-resolution mass spectrum of integral masses is used to determine the number of bromine and chlorine atoms in an organic compound. The chlorine rule is a tool suitable for use in structural determinations in first year organic chemistry and it is supported by the ability of sophomore-level students to successfully determine n and m from the…

A study of the vibrational spectroscopy of the cis and trans isomers of 1,2-dichloroethylene provides an excellent opportunity to learn the applications group theory in laboratories. The necessity of using infrared (IR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy in making full vibrational assignments is illustrated.

A study identifies a compound from a set of monoterpenes using infrared (IR) and one-dimensional (1D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. After identifying the unknown, each carbon and proton signal can be interpreted and assigned to the structure using the information in the two-dimensional (2D) NMR spectra, correlation spectroscopy…

The S[subscript N]2 reaction of 1-bromohexane and 1-bromobutane with potassium acetate is introduced to address the shortage of suitable laboratory experiments in organic laboratory. The experiment offers a review of some common laboratory techniques including the use of infrared spectroscopy to identify functional groups, the use of GC-MS…

This article presents results from a two-semester field test of the Light and Spectroscopy Concept Inventory (LSCI). Statistical analysis indicates that the LSCI has the sensitivity to measure statistically significant changes in students' understanding of light-related topics due to instruction in introductory astronomy courses and to distinguish…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to use proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, at 4.0 T, to explore the glutamine and glutamate levels in the anterior cingulate cortex of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (BPD; medicated and unmedicated) and healthy comparison subjects (HCSs). We hypothesized that unmedicated children with…

Alkaloids are part of the chemical arsenal designed to protect plants against an adverse environment. Therefore, their synthesis and accumulation are frequently induced in response to certain environmental conditions and are mediated by chemical signals, which are formed as the first responses to the external stimulus. A set of experiments using…

The series of experiments proposed for advanced undergraduate students deal with both standard organometallic preparative methods in dry anaerobic conditions and with a kinetic study of the mechanisms operating in the substitution of square-planar complexes. The preparation of organometallic compounds is carried out by transmetallation or…

Four different approaches to residual entropy (the entropy remaining in crystals comprised of nonsymmetric molecules like CO, N[subscript 2]O, FClO[subscript 3], and H[subscript 2]O as temperatures approach 0 K) are analyzed and a new method of its calculation is developed based on application of the Boltzmann distribution. The inherent connection…

An experiment to determine the rotational barrier about a C[subscript aryl]-N[subscript imide] single bond that is suitable for first-semester organic chemistry students is presented. The investigation begins with the one-step synthesis of a N,N'-diaryl naphthalene diimide, which exists as two room temperature-stable atropisomers (syn and anti).…

An experiment for the undergraduate chemistry laboratory in which students perform the aldol condensation on an unknown aldehyde and an unknown ketone is described. The experiment involves the use of techniques such as TLC, column chromatography, and recrystallization, and compounds are characterized by [to the first power]H NMR, GC-MS, and FTIR.…

A simple and cost-effective experiment for the development and characterization of semiconductors using Uv-vis spectroscopy is described. The study shows that the optical properties of ZnO films can be easily modified by forming Zn[subscript 1-x] Co[subscript x]O solid solutions via spray pyrolysis.

The expansion of newborn screening programs to include multiplex testing by tandem mass spectrometry requires understanding and close monitoring of performance metrics. This is not done consistently because of lack of defined targets, and interlaboratory comparison is almost nonexistent. Between July 2004 and April 2006 (N = 176,185 cases), the…