The reduction of ethyl acetoacetate using common baker's yeast is a traditional experiment that shows the stereoselective power of a biochemical system. Addition of organic solvents to aqueous reaction system increased the yields and reproducibility of the experiment thus overcoming the two problems associated with the experiment, low yield, and…

Dess-Martin periodinane oxidation is an experiment that provides an avenue to the introduction of Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in organic chemistry curriculum as a diagnostic tool for examination of the results of a familiar reaction, and absolute configuration. From the experiment, students increased their understanding of CD theory and…

Enzymatic methods are used to measure cholesterol levels but a simple and inexpensive method is described, which is particularly important when one has repeated lab sessions during the week. It can be carried out on the organic phase containing the lipids, without evaporating the solvent, yielding quick results.

Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation is developed that focuses on the varying enantiomeric excess of the product diols based on the structures of the alkenes being oxidized. The experimental sequence enables investigation of this reaction in terms of the different chiral ligands being used.

A chemical analysis of lotions, which comprises of categorizations of moisturizers and emulsions, with the preparation and testing of three lotions, is done. The experiment piques students' interest in preparing lotions and emulsions, and proves the value of chemistry in satisfying the needs of everyday life.

The rule of corresponding states, which shows the connection between the thermodynamic properties of various liquids is re-examined. The overall likeness is observed by using an updated scaling technique of Lennard-Jones corresponding states (LJ-CS).

The phenomena of double-diffusion convection is demonstrated. The more advanced aspects and procedures involving quantitative analyses suitable for a laboratory project are described.

Copper is isolated from a 5-cent coin with the help of electrolysis. This experiment is useful for conceptual understanding of the significance of reduction potentials in situation of competition for electrons.

The water absorption in chickpeas (dried legumes) is analyzed. The chickpea experiment serves as an introduction to the concepts of osmosis, mass transfer and diffusion.

A laboratory experiment for students in the last year of degree program in chemical engineering, chemistry, or industrial chemistry is presented. It models the chlor-alkali process, one of the most important industrial applications of electrochemical technology and the second largest industrial consumer of electricity after aluminium industry.

Surface tensions gradients were generated in a thin liquid film because of the local increase in temperature, for demonstration purposes. This is performed using a simple experiment and allows different alternatives for heat generation to be used.

Complexes of pyrazole-derived ligands are very popular due to the ability of the pyrazolato anion to form bridged polymetallic compounds in which the metals are held close enough to react with small molecules or facilitate magnetic exchange. The preparation of monodentate pyrazole and 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (DMHpz) nickel species and the…

A study of the vibrational spectroscopy of the cis and trans isomers of 1,2-dichloroethylene provides an excellent opportunity to learn the applications group theory in laboratories. The necessity of using infrared (IR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy in making full vibrational assignments is illustrated.

The development of an FI analyzer for chemiluminescence detection using a low-cost photoiodide is presented. The experiment clearly demonstrates in a single interdisciplinary project the way in which different aspects in chemical instrumentation fit together to produce a working analytical system.

The two things that usually attract students include sports and observing the unexpected. These activities which can be adapted for any class investigating the physical property of density, addresses both using an interactive, cross-disciplinary, open-ended investigation centered on determining mathematically whether a bowling ball will sink or…