An experiment for the calculation of the degree of double bond conversion, after a polymerization reaction, of photopolymerizable liquid monomers using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy is reported. The experiment was successfully conducted with undergraduate students in materials engineering during the Fundamentals of Polymeric Material course. Students…

Polymer chemistry lab experiments present a unique opportunity to allow students to experience the consequences of reaction mechanisms on the properties of the resulting product. In this organic chemistry experiment, students prepared a polyamide by three different reaction mechanisms that represent step-growth and chain-growth methods of…

The cost of infrared cameras has decreased significantly, and it is now time for chemistry educators to incorporate this tool into their teaching. In this article, we provide five ideas for this purpose, exploring the thermal effects/behaviors of some chemical substances using an infrared camera. Experiments involving affordable materials and…

In this paper, we present a demonstration of Ohm's law on a spreadsheet. Students can perform an experiment of Ohm's law like they perform in laboratories. The only difference is that the apparatus is virtual. The students record readings of current through the circuit and potential difference across a resistor. A graph is drawn between I and V to…

Until now, the concept of metal (0) atomic quantum clusters or nanoclusters (NCs) and their increasing role in nanotechnology due to their novel and exceptional properties in important industrial fields (such as catalysis) has not been included at the education level. Here, syntheses of both metal nanoparticles (NPs) and metal nanoclusters (with…

At first glance, scientific laboratory experiences might appear to be challenging to move to the cloud. Skeptics may point to sensory feedback limitations and inequivalence of student outcomes. However, emerging data increasingly provide evidence that scientific laboratory courses are not only amenable to online learning, but also can deliver…

In recent years the possibility of observing by microscopy the dynamic activity of living cells has been largely pursued. We have developed a low-cost (~ 260 euros) on-stage cell incubator for inverted optical microscopes. This device allows to keep cells in good conditions for their survival and proliferation. The device is based on the use of…

The enzymatic determination of glucose in soft drinks, based on the glucose concentration measurement by means of the coupled reactions of glucose oxidase and peroxidase, has been implemented at the University of Malaga and optimized according to the Biochemistry and Chemistry undergraduate students' results and feedback throughout the last few…

A green laboratory experiment has been developed in which students perform an aqueous oxidation/cycloaddition reaction to convert salicyl alcohol into a pentacyclic diepoxydione that is readily isolated by filtration. Drawing on their knowledge of periodate-mediated 1,2-diol cleavage, students propose a mechanism for the oxidation of salicyl…

An undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment involving the breakage of amide C-N bonds is reported. Whereas amides are typically considered stable species due to well-established resonance effects, this experiment allows students to cleave the amide C-N bond in a nickel-catalyzed esterification process. Moreover, students perform the…

The reduction of alkenes usually involves a hydrogen source and a catalyst. This process is both expensive and not well-suited for a large teaching laboratory. This paper presents an alternative procedure using a mixture of cobalt chloride and sodium borohydride to achieve the reduction of methyl oleate to methyl stearate. This procedure is safe,…

We herein report an efficient aerobic oxidative cleavage of meso-hydrobenzoin to benzaldehyde using a heterogeneous earth-abundant metal oxide catalyst. The reaction can be carried out at 70 °C in ethanol and uses a balloon filled with O2 as oxidant. Reagents are simple and have long shelf lives, and the whole laboratory exercise can be done in…

The bioinspired polymer polydopamine is synthesized and deposited on semiconductive glass substrates under different synthesis conditions (pH and oxidant type). Electrochemical methods are used to verify polymer deposition on the substrate and to examine the charge transfer properties of the obtained coatings. The presence of aromatic rings from…

We have designed an Arduino-based experiment to check the linear relationship between charge and voltage drop in a capacitor. The electric charge stored in a capacitor is determined by the numerical integration over time of the electric current during the charging or discharging processes through a resistor. Instead of using scientific software to…

An increase in online science course offerings requires a closer evaluation of the online laboratory experience. While it has been established that students can successfully learn from online laboratory simulations, there is a lack of knowledge regarding factors that impact student success. Grounded in the constructivist learning theory, a unique…