The reduction of alkenes usually involves a hydrogen source and a catalyst. This process is both expensive and not well-suited for a large teaching laboratory. This paper presents an alternative procedure using a mixture of cobalt chloride and sodium borohydride to achieve the reduction of methyl oleate to methyl stearate. This procedure is safe,…

A reliable method for bleach-based alcohol oxidation has been developed. Use of sodium bisulfate as the acid additive in the reaction mixture eliminates the various problems associated with acetic acid, which has commonly been used for this type of oxidation. By conducting the reaction in an ethyl acetate/water two-phase reaction mixture,…

Success in undergraduate chemical experiments requires students to develop knowledge and skills of instrumentation, equipment, and chemical techniques. In this technology report, we propose an adaptable and user-focused strategy to improve students' foundational skill and proficiency with chemical laboratory techniques and instrumentation. The…

An integrated and research-focused laboratory experiment is developed to introduce the "antenna effect" occurring in luminescent lanthanide complexes to students. Students synthesized a lanthanide metal-organic framework (Ln-MOF) with the formula of [Eu(BTPCA)(H O)]·2DMF·nH[Subscript 2]O (Eu-BTPCA, H[subscript 3]BTPCA =…

Semimicro pressure filtration is carried out by pressurizing a suspension through pushing the piston of a gas-filled plastic syringe whose needle perforates the closure of a cylindrical filter funnel. Basic features as well as pros and cons of vacuum and pressure filtration are pointed out and compared to support rational choice between the two…

The chemistry laboratory can be a daunting place for first year university students, especially those entering one for the first time with little or no prior laboratory experience. Increasing financial constraints placed on secondary schools has restricted the ability to provide rich laboratory experiences for students before entering tertiary…

An experiment for the synthesis of N-acyl derivatives of natural amino acids has been developed as part of the Distributed Drug Discovery (D3) program. Students use solid-phase synthesis techniques to complete a three-step, combinatorial synthesis of six products, which are analyzed using LC-MS and NMR spectroscopy. This protocol is suitable for…

A robust laboratory protocol for the three-step synthesis of "p"-tolyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-"O"-benzoyl-1-thio-[beta]-d-glucopyranoside from commercial glucose pentaacetate is reported. The previously reported procedures have been modified to accommodate laboratories and students without proper training or equipment needed to conduct…

Multifunctional chemical analysis (MCA) systems provide a viable alternative for large scale instruction while supporting a hands-on approach to more advanced instrumentation. These systems are robust and typically use student stations connected to a remote central computer for data collection, minimizing the need for computers at every student…

This laboratory experiment employs an innovative approach to introduce undergraduates to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) by developing a method based on multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). During this qualitative investigation, students operated a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in the MS scan and product ion scan…

Students in first-year chemistry classes come from a variety of backgrounds, with many students unaware of the qualities and behaviors of a professional scientist. Throughout their degree, students will gradually develop their cognitive skills, but they may not be adequately taught or assessed on their professional behavioral skills as a scientist…

Almost all commercial quadrupole ICP-MS instruments use collision/reaction cells to either attenuate spectral interferences or shift the analyte of interest to an interference-free "m/z" (e.g., by O addition). A laboratory practical was developed to introduce the students to the basic operating principles of ICP-MS using a hands-on…

An undergraduate experiment for the organic laboratory is described that utilizes microwave heating to prepare 5- substituted 1H-tetrazole derivatives through a (3 + 2) cycloaddition between aryl nitriles and sodium azide. The reaction mixture is analyzed by thin layer chromatography. The products are purified through an acid-base extraction and…

This paper examines the effectiveness of adding an online component to the general chemistry laboratory in which students view prelaboratory instructional materials through online videos prior to completing general chemistry laboratory activities. Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared the performance of 1089 general chemistry students who…

Despite widespread use in general chemistry laboratories, the crystal violet chemical kinetics experiment frequently suffers from erroneous student results. Student calculations for the reaction order in hydroxide often contain large asymmetric errors, pointing to the presence of systematic error. Through a combination of "in silico"…