Little is known concerning chemistry and biochemistry majors' understanding of research and scientific inquiry. In this three-year qualitative research study, chemistry and biochemistry majors were interviewed before and after participating in a National Science Foundation-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at a…

Atomic orbitals represent an essential construct used to develop chemical bonding models, upon which other more advanced chemistry topics are built. In this article, we share a series of active-learning activities and a gamified approach to develop students' representational competence about atomic orbitals and to engage students in learning the…

In the past few decades, chemistry has evolved to interact with various disciplines to synergistically help tackle global challenges. This, in turn, requires that newer generations of chemistry students are trained to be more flexible in accepting and coordinating new concepts. In this experiment, pineapple was used as a key model to allow for the…

Laboratory activities are a prevalent and essential part of chemistry learning because of their potential to help students develop problem solving abilities, visualize chemistry concepts learned in lecture, and gain practical skills. However, learning in the laboratory environment is not without its challenges. For example, cookbook-style…

Sewage sludge valorization in agricultural fields is in many countries a circular economy strategy to handle the disposal issues of this complex residue. Many countries regulate the content of heavy metals and other agrochemical parameters in sewage sludge, establishing threshold limits for its application in agricultural fields. This requires the…

Organic chemistry has been stigmatized as an unduly challenging subject throughout history. However, some undergraduate students excel in the subject when they attempt to understand the content rather than routine memorization. It is evident that rote memorization, a primary result of a student failing to understand the relevance of the material,…

Game-based learning has been shown to promote active learning. We have designed a card game termed CountQuest, played on the online platform Zoom, to facilitate the revision of the effective atomic number (EAN) concept for metal complexes previously taught in lectures. This game was played by undergraduate and graduate chemistry students during…

This article describes the design and implementation of an independent at-home chemistry project for a high school student. The pedagogical process described herein provided an authentic and meaningful laboratory experience at home, enabling remote learning that was inexpensive and safe. The topic of study was osmosis, and experiments were…

In this paper, the development of an automatic assessor is presented, both in MATLAB and in Excel, for an analytical exercise. In particular, the emulation of an interlaboratory exercise, using the analytical determination of phosphorus in a dry detergent, carried out in the laboratory by different groups of students, was selected as a case of…

Simple mathematical models can serve to reveal the essence of experimental phenomena and scientific concepts. The particle in a box (PIB), for example, is widely used in undergraduate programs to teach the quantum mechanical principles behind the UV--vis spectra of conjugated polyenes and polyynes. In this work, the particle on a ring (POR) and…

Future college environments, including those in chemistry, will entail flexible formats. The pandemic spurred appreciation of the need, and though it has largely passed, adaptability to multiple formats in the future has been a critical part of planning for a rapidly changing future. Experiences during the pandemic will guide pedagogical changes…

After a four year hiatus, caused by the challenges of the pandemic, the ACS Division of Chemical Education held the 27th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education at Purdue University as an in-person conference. With all the complexity of the ongoing presence of SARS-CoV-2, there were many possible ways to think about and process the experiences…

O•, O[subscript 2] and O[subscript 3] play vital roles in the Earth's atmosphere, regulating ultraviolet radiation from the Sun and being essential for life. However, the oxygen family, O•, O[subscript 2] and O[subscript 3], also provides a source of the HO radical, the atmospheric detergent that removes pollutants from the atmosphere. This…

Potassium is the main intracellular ion in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and is essential for their functions, making potassium one of the most important electrolytes in physiology. In humans, potassium plays a vital role in several physiological functions, including the maintenance of fluid balance, generating the membrane potential of cells,…

Missing data is a regular issue that researchers and practitioners must consider for treatment. Commonly, cases for which data is missing are excluded from inclusion in larger data sets. However, this is not the only option and could artificially alter the sample. Other options are available for imputing missing data. Expanding on work previously…