Described is a bioluminescent assay for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and reduced nicotineamide-adenine dinucleotide (NADH) that meets the requirements of an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course. The 3-hour experiment provides students with experience in bioluminescence and analytical biochemistry yet requires limited instrumentation,…

Describes a method which adapts itself to the characteristics of the kinetics of a chemical reaction in solution, enabling students to determine the Arrhenius parameters with satisfactory accuracy by means of a single non-isothermic experiment. Both activation energy and the preexponential factor values can be obtained by the method. (JN)

Examines (in the form of a hypothetical dialog between a teacher and a student) the nature of the mantle and the spectral content of the glow which lights up both beam and mantle. These phenomena are associated with excitation of helium gas in the presence of electromagnetic and electrostatic fields. (JN)

Describes a laboratory activity which provides practical experience in wiring an electrical circuit with line voltage and everyday components. Students use wooden frames, bulbs, wire, fuses, and switches to test their wiring skills. (DH)

Discusses issues related to examination questions which begin by asking students to "Describe an experiment to..." Indicates that this strategy is useful when focusing on important quantities/phenomena or "celebrated" experiments and that examining boards should not request students to describe experiments which verify or…

Describes an experiment which demonstrates changes in ammonia excretion and urine pH that occur in response to metabolic acidosis (induced by ammonium chloride ingestion) or metabolic alkalosis (produced by sodium bicarbonate ingestion). List of materials needed and background information are included. Typical results are provided and discussed.…

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is used to separate and quantitate beta-carotene, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b originating from collard greens. Experimental procedures used and typical results obtained are discussed. (JN)

Content, readability, safety aspects, appearance, technique, effectiveness of experiments, enrichment exercises, teacher aids, and special features of 12 physics laboratory manuals are reported and compared. (JN)

Discusses use of a tangential gun to obtain a value for the specific electronic charge e/m. The method is the one advocated by the tube suppliers, though some suggested variations may appeal to teachers anxious to train their students in thinking along lines that are both scientifically correct and practically desirable. (JN)

Describes (1) oil slick interference rings in the laboratory; (2) cracking of glass by impact; (3) multipurpose prism for refractometry and light path demonstrations; and (4) determination of liquid densities and volumes of solid bodies by the reaction force on a vessel. Procedures used and equipment needed are discussed. (JN)

Reviews literature on chromatography examining: books, reviews, student experiments; chromatographic systems, techniques, apparatus; detecting and identification of separated zones; preparative chromatography and radiochromatography; and applications related to specific materials (such as acids, alcohols, amino acids, antibiotics, enzymes, dyes,…

An experiment which introduces students to infrared spectroscopy and the solubility behavior of various organic compounds is described. The experiment also serves to integrate some of the basic chemical reactions of functional groups with their spectral properties. (JN)

Describes an experiment in which several metallo complexes with different central atoms are prepared. Background information on these compounds is provided, including requirements for their formation, preparation methods, and comments on their general properties and analysis. (JN)

Carbaryl, 1-naphthyl-N-methylcarbamate, is the biodegradable (soft) insecticide most commonly marketed by the Union Carbide Corporation under the trade name of Sevin. Procedures for the synthesis and testing of carbaryl and for the testing of some compounds similar to carbaryl are provided. Equations showing its synthesis from methyl isocyanate…

Described is an advanced undergraduate physics laboratory experiment for determining an area, and bandwidth-independent parameter, D* ("dee star"), of an infrared detection devices' detectivity. (SL)