This work presents an approach that integrates the preparation of a coordination compound, potassium tris- (oxalato)ferrate(III), with its photochemical behavior and provides a possible application, the printing of a photograph using the cyanotype technique. Through this experiment, students can be taught several concepts that occur in a…

In a recent report, the American Association of Physics Teachers has developed an updated set of recommendations for curriculum of undergraduate physics labs. This document focuses on six major themes: constructing knowledge, modeling, designing experiments, developing technical and practical laboratory skills, analyzing and visualizing data, and…

In science education, laboratory practicals are frequently assessed through submission of a report. A large increase in student numbers necessitated us adapting a traditional practical report into an online test with automated marking. The assessment was designed to retain positive features of the traditional laboratory report but with added…

Expertise studies in the medical domain often focus on either visual or cognitive aspects of expertise. As a result, characteristics of expert behaviour are often described as either cognitive or visual abilities. This study focuses on both aspects of expertise and analyses them along three overarching constructs: (1) encapsulations, (2)…

Undergraduate biochemistry laboratory courses often do not provide students with an authentic research experience, particularly when the express purpose of the laboratory is purely instructional. However, an instructional laboratory course that is inquiry- and research-based could simultaneously impart scientific knowledge and foster a student's…

Hiring undergraduate lab assistants in chemistry departments is common in college. However, few studies have focused on promoting undergraduate chemistry learning and thinking skills through this work experience in chemistry teaching laboratories. This article discusses the strategy we implemented in the lab assistant program. The…

In this experiment, students carry out a halogen-metal exchange reaction of methyl 2-iodobenzoate with isopropylmagnesium chloride in THF at 0°C to afford 2-carbomethoxyphenylmagnesium chloride, which is treated with "p"-methoxybenzaldehyde to give a lactone (phthalide) product. This reaction introduces students to the modern method of…

Implementing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in microchannels offers several advantages over its traditional microtiter plate-based format, including a reduced sample volume requirement, shorter incubation period, and greater sensitivity. Moreover, microfluidic ELISA platforms are inexpensive to fabricate and allow integration of…

Gravitational light deflection, predicted by general relativity, is a fascinating phenomenon with numerous important applications in astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology. At first sight, there is no analogous effect in electrodynamics because Maxwell's equations are linear and, therefore, a photon does not interact with the electromagnetic field…

A laboratory exercise using [superscript 27]Al NMR spectrometry to study the tetrahedral tetrahaloaluminate anions has been developed. Spectra of the homoleptic complexes [AlX[subscript 4]]-and the dihalide anions [AlX[subscript 4]Y[subscript 4-n]]-(X, Y = Cl, Br, or I) are acquired, then the pairwise-additivity concept developed by Vladimiroff…

In an effort to make absorption spectrophotometry available to high school chemistry and physics classes, we have designed an inexpensive visible light absorption spectrophotometer. The spectrophotometer was constructed using LEGO blocks, a light emitting diode, optical elements (including a lens), a slide-mounted diffraction grating, and a…

We construct a thermometer exploiting the electric resistance of the filament of a small lamp used in micro-illumination settings. The instrument may guarantee a response time better than 10 ms, i.e. much faster than commercial thermocouples or other quite expensive devices. This makes our thermometer a useful one in several processes which are…

A simple and inexpensive mercury-free apparatus to measure the change in volume of a gas as a function of pressure at different temperatures is described. The apparatus is simpler than many found in the literature and can be used to study variations in pressure, volume, and temperature. (Contains 1 table and 7 figures.)

The purpose of this paper is to describe a Centrifugal Pump Experiment that provided an experiential learning experience to chemical engineering undergraduates at the University of Missouri in the spring of 2010 in the Unit Operations Laboratory course. Lab equipment was used by senior students with computer-based data and control technology. In…

This article describes a laboratory protocol for a multiweek project piloted in a new upper-level biology laboratory (BIO 426) using cell culture techniques. Human embryonic kidney-293 cells were used, and several culture media and supplements were identified for students to design their own experiments. Treatments included amino acids, EGF,…