The construction of a fluorometer and a spectrofluorometer using flashlight or a sunlight excitation source in a shoebox and the eye as a detector is being described. The assembly helps in understanding several fundamental ideas related to the subject very easily.

A commercially available Grignard reagent (3.0 M solution of phenyl magnesium bromide in ether) was used in a convenient Grignard synthesis in a second-year organic chemistry laboratory without any of the typical failures associated with the Grignard reaction. The reaction setup used oven-dried glassware and no extraordinary measures were taken to…

Crystals of naphthalene form on the surface of an acetone solution and dance about in an animated fashion illustrating surface tension, crystallization, and intermolecular forces. Additional experiments reveal the properties of the solution. Flows within the solutions can be visualized by various means. Previous demonstrations of surface motion…

Degradative enzymes in over-the-counter products from pharmacies and health food stores provide good examples of biological catalysis. These include [beta]-galactosidase in Lactaid[TM], [alpha]-galactosidase in Beano[R], [alpha]-amylase and proteases in digestive aids, and proteases in contact lens cleaners. These enzymes can be studied…

A laboratory experiment was conducted in which the students synthesized yellow colloidal silver, estimate particle size using visible spectroscopy and studied aggregation effects. The students were thus introduced to nanotechnology along with other topics such as redox chemistry, limiting and excess reactants, spectroscopy and atomic size.

A green laser pointer could be used in a flashy demonstration of laser-induced fluorescence in the gas phase by directing the beam of the laser through a cell containing [I[subscript]2] at its room temperature vapor pressure. The experiment could be used to provide valuable insight into the requirements for laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and the…

High diversity of microorganisms in the soil matrix has been the focus of extensive research in the fields of soil biology and microbial ecology, and is a key concept that students in the environmental or biological sciences should understand. Two activities to demonstrate diversity and highlight the challenges faced in studying soil microbial…

Non-ceramic glasses are not adequately discussed in introductory chemistry. Such glasses include polycarbonate, which many corrective lenses are made of, amber, enamel, gelatin, hard candy, coal, refrigerated glycerol, and metallic glasses that have been marketed in recent decades. What is usually discussed in elementary texts is siliceous glass,…

As part of an effort to infuse our physical chemistry laboratory with biologically relevant, investigative experiments, we detail four integrated thermodynamic experiments that characterize the denaturation (or unfolding) and self-interaction of hen egg white lysozyme as a function of pH and ionic strength. Students first use Protein Explorer to…

This article describes a simple and inexpensive laboratory exercise developed to understand the effect of pressure on phase equilibrium as described by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. The only piece of equipment required is a pressure cooker adapted with a pressure gauge and a thermometer in the lid, allowing the measurement of the pressure and…

Animations of the particulate level of matter are widely available for use in chemistry classes and are often the primary means of representing molecular behavior. These animations may also be viewed by individual students using textbook Web sites, although without reinforcement or feedback. It is not known to what extent the material in these…

We are currently in the process of incorporating green chemistry throughout the chemistry curriculum. In this article we describe how we applied the principles of green chemistry in one of our first-semester general chemistry courses, specifically in relation to the determination of the formula of a hydrate. We utilize a copper hydrate salt that…

In this article I describe an experiment involving the Leidenfrost phenomenon, which is the long lifetime of a water drop when it is deposited on a metal that is much hotter than the boiling point of water. The experiment was carried out with high-school students. The Leidenfrost point is measured and the heat laws are used to estimate the…

Prerequisites for the Developmental Biology course at Augustana College are introductory courses in zoology and cell biology. After introductory courses students appreciate the fact that proteins have three-dimensional structures; however, they often fail to recognize how protein interactions with other cellular components can lead to specific…

The movement of newly synthesized proteins through the endomembrane system of eukaryotic cells, often referred to generally as the secretory pathway, is a topic covered in most intermediate-level undergraduate cell biology courses. An article previously published in this journal described a laboratory exercise in which yeast mutants defective in…