pi-Electron delocalization exerts one of the most significant structure or energy influences in organic chemistry. Apart from determining the shapes of alkenes and alkynes, the planarity of aromatic molecules is a hallmark of pi-electron delocalization. Huckel's rules for aromaticity are easily applied in the teaching of undergraduates, but…

This article describes an activity that can be used as an inquiry-based laboratory or demonstration for either high school or undergraduate chemistry students to provide a basis for understanding both vapor pressure and the concept of dynamic phase equilibrium. The activity includes a simple setup to create a closed system of only water liquid and…

Titration experiments are ideal for generating large data sets for use in quantitative-analysis activities that are meaningful and transparent to general chemistry students. We report the successful implementation of a sophisticated quantitative exercise in which the students identify a series of unknown acids by determining their molar masses…

Although there are numerous inorganic model systems that are readily presented as undergraduate laboratory experiments in bioinorganic chemistry, there are few examples that explore the inorganic chemistry of actual biological molecules. We present a laboratory experiment using the oxygen-binding protein myoglobin that can be easily incorporated…

Competitions are used by many teachers at the grassroots level to develop the talents of their gifted students. Each year the top Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics Olympiad students are identified and assembled into national teams that compete against teams from around the world. This article summarizes findings from the American Olympiad study.…

One of the biggest challenges for instruction in large-enrollment introductory courses is identifying points of student confusion. One technique that is used to address this problem is the muddiest-point card. However, this technique is logistically difficult to implement in large classes. Personal response devices (or clickers) can be used to…

Nearly 50 years ago, Henry Bent published his groundbreaking article in this "Journal" introducing the "global" formulation of thermodynamics. In the following years, the global formulation was elaborated by Bent and by one of the present authors. The global formulation of the first law focuses on conservation of energy and the recognition that…

Substitution reactions, a central part of organic chemistry, provide a model system in physical chemistry to study reaction rates and mechanisms. Here, the use of inexpensive and readily available commercial conductivity probes coupled with computer data acquisition for the study of the temperature and solvent dependence of the solvolysis of…

The film "Lorenzo's Oil" depicts the challenges faced by the parents of a child with adrenoleukodystrophy, a neurological disorder that, they were told, was certainly fatal. The film contains a significant amount of chemistry, including concepts of fatty acid metabolism, enzyme inhibition, and the purification of substances. The film also raises…

In this study, the authors describe a Performance Enhanced Interactive Learning (PEIL) workshop model as a supplement for organic chemistry instruction. This workshop model differs from many others in that it includes public presentations by students and other whole-class-discussion components that have not been thoroughly investigated in the…

Much research has been published that describes the misconceptions students have about gases; however, not much research has been published that suggests how to change these misconceptions. The action research presented in this article examined how using laboratories to contradict students' preconceived ideas would affect their learning. High…

The purpose of this article is to study the effects of an intellectually caring model of teaching and learning on alternative African American high school students' conceptual change and achievement in a chemistry unit on acids and bases. A mixed-methods approach using retrospective data was utilized. Data secured from the teacher were the…

Helping learners to visualize the structures and dynamics of particles through the use of technology is challenging. Animations and simulations can be difficult for learners to interpret and can even lead to new misconceptions. A systematic approach to development based on the findings of cognitive science was used to design, develop, and evaluate…

This article highlights the work of three faculty members across two different professional development seminars at LaGuardia Community College. It illustrates how their work was guided and is linked together by a common thread--the use of ePortfolio to foster integrative social pedagogy--as a result of their participation in these seminars. This…

This study investigated the relative effectiveness of three types of concept maps (hierarchy, flowchart and spider) on the performance of students in Chemistry. This is with a view to find out which of the concept mapping types is more superior in enhancing students' performance in the numerical aspect of Chemistry. The pre-test, post-test…