The aroma volatile compounds in tomatoes are strongly linked to taste and flavor. Commercial tomato varieties, however, generally lack flavor. Tomato breeding programs have therefore started to focus on increasing the flavor-enhancing volatiles, which can be more easily altered than the sugar content. Analytical efforts that identify key flavor…

A Maker-oriented experimental course in general chemistry has been created by using digital tools, such as a computer, a pressure sensor, and data processing software, in combination with a new multiple expansion method and laboratory equipment to determine the vapor pressure precisely. In this Maker chemistry experiment, the pressure sensor…

In case-based learning, students develop and apply course knowledge to solve tangible and "real life" problems. This practice can enhance student motivation and engagement in the analytical laboratory. In this application of case-based learning students analyze commercially available oils for CBD content. In the state of Texas anyone can…

In this guided inquiry experiment, students extract catecholase enzyme from apples to catalyze the oxidation of catechol. They follow the reaction using the UV--vis absorbance of the "p"-benzophenone produced to determine the Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters. Students make selected experimental choices within a structured framework…

Categorizing the various levels of protein and nucleic acid structures is a relatively straightforward concept students understand quickly when shown representative structural images. However, keeping in mind the idea of primary, secondary, and tertiary structure proves more difficult when students are in the laboratory setting simply looking at a…

The redox reaction between dioxovanadium(V) and oxalate is proposed as a suitable system to analyze the kinetics of a twostep reaction mechanism using UV-vis spectroscopy. First, the spectra of dioxovanadium(V) and its reduced counterpart oxovanadium(IV) are compared and explained using the crystal field theory. The change in absorbance can be…

Semiconductor devices, usually made from silicon wafers, are present in the electronic gadgets that we use on a daily basis. In an introductory physics class, the textbook usually devotes a few pages to these devices and moves on. As a result, students may readily forget the material or fail to see how it relates to their lives. A solution is to…

This article deals with an exploration of a double superior mirage obtained in laboratory conditions and its contribution to the deep understanding of light events in specialized schools. It was revealed that an explanation of the formation process of a double superior mirage plays a key role in the adoption of knowledge on reflection and…

Raman spectroscopy is an important vibrational spectroscopy tool to characterize chemical compounds. As only a few photons undergo Raman scattering, enhancement of signal is a vital requirement. In this laboratory experiment, some practical aspects of Raman spectroscopy and how a simple enhancement procedure can be used to detect a Raman signal…

The spectrophotometric determination of the percent composition of an aspirin tablet is a common first-year, general chemistry undergraduate laboratory procedure. The experiment requires that a known amount of pure acetylsalicylic acid be quantitatively converted into the soluble disodium salicylic acid that is further reacted with excess…

Teachers' goals and orientations underlie their instructional decision making and can make the difference between "talking the talk" and "walking the walk" when trying to change lab instruction. Schoenfeld's "Resources, Orientations, and Goals" (ROG) framework was employed to shed light on the challenges involved in a…

To improve student outcomes in four-credit asynchronous online physical geography classes that included a lab component, we employed three different experimental techniques in spring 2022. Fifteen faculty who collectively taught 24 sections of Introduction to Landforms or Weather and Climate modified one element of their course to foster improved…

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are important for providing undergraduates with authentic research experiences. At Xavier University of Louisiana, a Genetics Laboratory CURE course was developed and implemented. The goals of developing this Genetics CURE laboratory course were: (1) to provide a large number of students the…

CRISPR-Cas9 is revolutionizing how we conduct scientific research, treat disease, and develop new crops. The widespread impact of this genome-editing technology makes it critical for undergraduate students to understand and engage with this new tool. In this article, we describe a multi-week lab module that teaches undergraduates how to design…

We describe a series of three experiments in which students develop a model system for measuring the LC50 of household substances, using grass seed as the model organism. Students use statistical methods to compare two samples (using chi-square and Student's "t"-tests), conduct a two-level multifactor experiment to look at multiple…