Reported are designs for a colorimeter (absorptiometer) and polarimeter, both of which may be constructed readily with average workshop facilities and whose performance is superior to many commercial instruments commonly used in teaching laboratories. Includes pertinent diagrams, operating instructions, and sample output. (JN)

Discusses chemometrics (analysis of data from chemical measurements), tracing developments in this area and summarizing reasons for teaching chemometrics. Includes highlights of presentations given at a symposium (Interpreting Complex Chemical Data: Teaching Chemometrics) and brief descriptions of chemometric methods. (JN)

Describes a high school faculty institute designed to assist teachers in helping students take up chemistry as a career or to continue studies in chemistry. Includes dates and topics covered in the institute since its inception in 1980 and highlights of institute activities. (JN)

Discusses various aspects of establishing a viable, undergraduate research program at a small, liberal arts college. Areas addressed include research topics, research supervisors, student research, and support for research activities. (JN)

Essays written by 14-year-old pupils about a chemistry topic were analyzed for structure and process using ideal paradigms defined mathematically. The students' actual behaviors were then compared with the behavior expected had they used either a serial or a parallel processing strategy based on either a constructive or a reproductive memory.…

A chemistry professor and an English professor combined their efforts in a regularly scheduled chemistry course to guide students in writing better laboratory reports. This approach is described, including criteria (which are part of the course syllabus) used to evaluate student papers. (JN)

Provides ideas and suggestions for helping students increase their problem-solving skills, including a four-step general problem-solving approach. Specific examples (considering qualitative problems and problem sequence) and comments on testing/grading are also provided. (JN)

The reaction between arsenite and iodate in acidic solution offers an excellent pedagogic introduction to such phenomena as traveling waves. Component reactions, traveling waves, and a mathematical model are discussed. Demonstrations described can easily be elaborated into a full laboratory experiment. (Author/JN)

The chemistry of the ocean, whose constituents interact with those of air and land to support life and influence climate, is known to have undergone changes since the last glacial epoch. Changes in dissolved oxygen, calcium ions, phosphate, carbon dioxide, carbonate ions, and bicarbonate ions are discussed. (JN)

The Mole Concept is a learning cycle (patterned after University of Nebraska-Lincoln's ADAPT model) for the chemical unit "mole." Discusses objectives and activities involved in each phase of the cycle: exploration, invention, and application. Indicates the cycle is superior to traditional lecture-demonstration for teaching the abstract mole…

Results from two surveys of chemists and educators conducted at two conventions indicate weak spots in facilities, poor storage information, and failure to take precautions against reactive hazards. Includes suggestions and a checklist related to a wide range of storage problems. (SK)

Background information and laboratory procedures are provided for an undergraduate experiment requiring students to prepare a coordination compound. (SK)

Describes an advanced simulation illustrating how basic engineering skills can be combined with economic considerations and risk-taking judgments to effectively design and operate a chemical processing unit in a competitive environment. The simulation is used as one of five projects in a technical management course. (SK)

Discusses topics on membrane electrodes corresponding to approximately six hours of lecture time. These include glass, liquid, crystal, gas-sensing membrane electrodes as well as enzyme and other bioselective membrane electrodes. Instructional strategies and other topics which might be discussed are provided. (JN)

Using ascorbic acid enzyme assays in conjunction with chronoamperometric measurements, reliable values for the principal electroactive components in the rat caudate extracellular fluid were established. Techniques used in the study are discussed. (JN)