The acylation of ferrocene is a common reaction used in organic laboratories to demonstrate Friedel-Crafts acylation and the purification of compounds using column chromatography. This article describes an acylation of ferrocene experiment that is more eco-friendly than the conventional acylation experiment. The traditional experiment was modified…

This article presents a lab experience to study detergency from a physicochemical point of view intended for undergraduate students. By means of a simple experimental device, we analyze the influence of the surfactant concentration in both distilled water and tap water. Our method is based on the measurement of diffuse reflectances of polyester…

Many physical chemistry lab courses include an experiment in which students measure surface tension as a function of surfactant concentration. In the traditional experiment, the data are fit to the Gibbs isotherm to determine the molar area for the surfactant, and the critical micelle concentration is used to calculate the Gibbs energy of micelle…

In this lab experiment, screen-printed electrode strips are used to illustrate the essential concepts of electrochemistry, giving students an opportunity to explore metal electrodeposition processes. In the past, metal electrodeposition experiments were seldom included in general chemistry labs because of the difficulty of maintaining separate…

Carbohydrates, in the form of glycoconjugates, have recently been shown to control a wide range of cellular processes. Accordingly, students interested in the study of organic chemistry and biomedical sciences should be exposed to carbohydrate chemistry. To this end, we have developed a sequence of experiments that leads the student from the…

In this experiment the over-the-counter pain reliever ibuprofen is resolved using (S)-(-)-[alpha]-phenethylamine as the resolving agent. This procedure has several key advantages over previous resolution experiments. First, it involves the resolution of a well-known medicinal compound of commercial importance. Second, the resolution process is…

A device that can demonstrate equilibrium, kinetic, and thermodynamic concepts is described. The device consists of a leaf blower attached to a plastic container divided into two chambers by a barrier of variable size and form. Styrofoam balls can be exchanged across the barrier when the leaf blower is turned on and various air pressures are…

The determination of sulfate concentration in water by indirect EDTA titration is an instructive experiment that is easily implemented in an analytical chemistry laboratory course. A water sample is treated with excess barium chloride to precipitate sulfate ions as BaSO[subscript 4](s). The unprecipitated barium ions are then titrated with EDTA.…

Using the traditional serological tests and the most novel techniques for DNA fingerprinting, forensic scientists scan different traits that vary from person to person and use the data to include or exclude suspects based on matching with the evidence obtained in a criminal case. Although the forensic application of these methods is well known,…

In this article, we describe an inexpensive, two-session undergraduate laboratory activity that introduces important molecular biology methods in the context of biodiversity. In the first session, students bring tentatively identified flies (order Diptera, true flies) to the laboratory, extract DNA, and amplify a region of the mitochondrial gene…

This article reports on firebomb attacks at the homes of two animal researchers which have provoked anger and unease. The firebomb attacks, which set the home of a neuroscientist at the University of California at Santa Cruz aflame and destroyed a car parked in the driveway of another university researcher's home, have left researchers and…

This is the story of how a typical middle school lab was transformed into an open-ended inquiry experience through a few small, but very powerful, changes. By allowing students to follow their own questions, the classroom filled with enthusiasm and students learned much more about photosynthesis, respiration, and the scientific processes. The…

A scheme was introduced to offer opportunities to second-year bioscience students to undertake part-time paid work in research laboratories. The aim was to provide students with a greater appreciation of bioscience research, to reinforce their laboratory skills and to encourage them to consider a research-based career. Students worked for 8 hours…

This research investigates one process through which deviance becomes legitimate and therefore expected of individuals within a group. On the one hand, the status of an individual initially suggesting deviance affects others' personal beliefs that deviance is proper, and in turn the likelihood that they will enact and transmit deviance to new…

The spontaneous synchronization of phase-coupled, non-identical oscillators is explored numerically via the famous Kuramoto model. The conditions for synchronization are examined as a function of the coupling network. I argue that such a numerical exploration provides a feasible way to introduce the topic of phase transitions early in the physics…