Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions are well-known among the most versatile catalytic C-C bond formation reactions. Two different routes of C-C bond Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions for the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory courses have been designed and explained. A two-step reaction involving a catalyst preparation as the first step and…

A new two-step experiment has been designed and developed for the curriculum of the Organic Chemistry Laboratory 2 (CHEM2240L) sophomore course at Xavier University of Louisiana, in New Orleans. Initially, cyclohexanol was converted to cyclohexanone using bleach as the oxidizing agent followed by the formation of the cyclohexanone oxime. However,…

In order to succeed in biochemistry, students must transfer and build upon their understanding of general chemistry and introductory biology concepts. One such critical area of knowledge is bioenergetics. Student misconceptions around energy and free energy must be addressed prior to learning more advanced topics, such as energy flow in metabolic…

Genome editing has widespread influence in many fields, including medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture. Despite their origins in chemistry laboratories, these techniques are currently under utilized in chemistry curricula. Introducing future generations of chemists to these emerging technologies is essential in chemistry classrooms. The…

The material of a standard second-year undergraduate organic chemistry class has been reorganized and reframed to emphasize the mechanistic connections between reactions and to clarify the language with which organic reaction mechanisms are discussed. Assessment of the results of this reorganization shows that student test scores do not decline in…

For undergraduate students to be prepared for graduate school and industry, it is imperative that they understand how to merge the theoretical insights gleaned through their undergraduate education with the raw data sets acquired through materials analysis. Thus, the ability to implement data analysis is a vital skill that students should develop.…

To prove that oxygen is irreversibly consumed in the blue bottle reaction, a manometer or a plastic bottle was used to show a permanent reduction in the gas pressure in a reaction vessel. This demonstration may be misleading because the change in gas pressure can be attributed to a number of other factors such as temperature change and involvement…

Nanoparticle Zn[subscript 2x] Cu[subscript 1-x] In[subscript 1-x] S[subscript 2] is a promising and safer alternative to lead- and cadmium-containing quantum dots. Students prepare Zn[subscript 0.44] Cu[subscript 0.78] In[subscript 0.78] S[subscript 2] quantum dots in a one-pot synthesis without an inert atmosphere and investigate how the color,…

The principles of chemical kinetics comprise one of the core topics that appear throughout chemistry. Standard kinetics lessons typically cover reaction rates and relative rates, rate laws, integrated rate laws, half-lives, collision theory, and the Arrhenius equation. They can also introduce a discussion of mechanisms as well, which may be the…

An innovative food laboratory for a chemistry of food and cooking course has been developed for nonscience majors and under-represented students in science. To help these students succeed in science, a laboratory was designed to engage students using food and cooking as a medium for building a stronger foundation in chemistry. Each food laboratory…

Polymers and nanochemistry are important facets of chemistry. In this experiment, students synthesize monodispersed poly(methyl methacrylate) nanospheres from the addition or chain polymerization of a rapidly stirred aqueous mini-emulsion of methyl methacrylate. The 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride serves as a heat activated,…

Limiting case analysis (LCA) is important to practicing physicists. Yet, there is little concrete guidance for physics educators, and a lack of consensus in the research community about how to help students learn, and learn from, limiting case analysis. In this study, we first review existing literature to find commonalities and variations in how…

As COVID-19 restrictions are removed, instructors are faced with two questions: should the course be taught online, via mixed-mode, or through traditional methods, and what effect did online instruction have on students in the course in regards regarding enrolled across eight semesters of metabolism courses using traditional, mixed-mode, and…

Eleven different laboratory experiments were designed and executed throughout a semester to provide a meaningful research experience for 23 undergraduate biochemistry majors at UTSA. The topic of the semester was based on the idea of exploring new aspects to enhance our understanding of how the human body uses cytochrome P450 enzymes to metabolize…

The electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen is a critical step in many green chemistry processes. The key to the efficiency of water electrolysis is the synthesis of an appropriate electrocatalyst. Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an increasingly important part of many industrial processes. In this study, we propose an efficient laboratory…