Biotechnology is a fairly new concept for middle school students as well as teachers. If the latest craze of TV shows focused on crime scene investigation events were not so popular, the term and concept might be even obscure to the public. There is an increased presence of biotechnology in our daily surroundings that makes it practical and…

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS or simply MALDI) has become ubiquitous in the identification and analysis of biomacromolecules. As a technique that allows for the molecular weight determination of otherwise nonvolatile molecules, MALDI has had a profound impact in the molecular…

DNA microarrays are microscopic arrays on a solid surface, typically a glass slide, on which DNA oligonucleotides are deposited or synthesized in a high-density matrix with a predetermined spatial order. Several types of DNA microarrays have been developed and used for various biological studies. Here, we developed an undergraduate laboratory…

The process of diffusion is described as the movement of a substance from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. In this article, the authors present a novel way to introduce students to diffusion through the use of an analytical puzzle. This exercise engages students in active learning through a thought provoking exercise…

The stereochemical investigation is conducted to give students the combined experience of chemical synthesis of amines and N-heterocycles and structural stereochemical analysis using NMR spectroscopy. Students are introduced to the concept of topicity-stereochemical relationships between ligands within a molecule by synthesizing N,O-acetals.

The reaction of a ketone and an aldehyde in aqueous Na[subscript 2]CO[subscript 2] is described. This experiment is performed in the absence of strong bases or organic solvents and offers the opportunity for students to observe the critical role that reaction temperature and base strength have in determining the product of the base-mediated…

Treatment of d-fructose with methanol in the presence of acid as a catalyst gives a mixture of methyl-[beta]-d-fructopyranoside, methyl-[alpha]-D-fructofuranoside, and methyl-[beta]-d-fructofuranoside, which were separated on an ion exchange column and characterized polarimetrically.

In this interview Roald Hoffmann reveals aspects of his private life, from the great difficulties he experienced during World War II, to his personal beliefs. Hoffmann addresses questions about the meaning of laboratory work, teaching chemistry, representing chemical ideas, his philosophical quandaries, his poetry, and his view of atomic orbitals.…

In this laboratory experiment, students take environmental samples at various locations around the college campuses, take geospatial coordinates with a global position systems (GPS) unit, and map their results on a geo-referenced campus map with geographical information systems (GIS) software. Nitrogen dioxide air pollution sampling is used as an…

Competition experiments are a useful tool for preliminary study of the linear free energy relationship of organic reactions. This article describes a physical organic experiment for upper-level undergraduates to identify the rate-determining step of the Claisen-Schmidt condensation of benzaldehyde and acetophenone by studying the linear free…

To promote the use of scientific inquiry methods in K-12 classrooms, departments of teacher education must provide science teachers with experiences using such methods. To comply with state and national mandates, an apprenticeship course was designed to afford preservice secondary science teachers opportunities to engage in an authentic, extended,…

An acutely less toxic 2-bromobutane is used to develop a simple graphite-promoted procedure of alkylation of p-xylene. It is further demonstrated that aluminum chloride is not required, the need for aqueous workup is eliminated, waste solutions are not produced and the multiple use of the catalyst is allowed.

The projection screen in the dimly lit auditorium was ready and an online chat window was open on the computer screen. Computer experts and entomologists were ready on the other end. One by one, students filled up the rows of seats eagerly anticipating what was going to happen next. Each student was asked to close their eyes. Ms. Hadley asked…

Several active-learning techniques and inquiry-driven laboratory exercises were incorporated in labs to determine the effects of these methodologies on the fundamental skills of the students. The practice has been found extremely useful for developing the learning abilities of the students.

Learning real three-dimensional (3D) anatomy for the first time can be challenging. Two-dimensional drawings and plastic models tend to over-simplify the complexity of anatomy. The approach described uses stereoscopy to create 3D images of the process of cadaver dissection and to demonstrate the underlying anatomy related to the speech mechanisms.…