In an effort to achieve high success in knowledge and technique acquisition as a whole, a biochemistry and molecular biology experiment was established for high-grade biotechnology specialty students after they had studied essential theory and received proper technique training. The experiment was based on cloning and expression of alkaline…

The aim of this experiment is to study and calculate the kinetic constant of a Heck reaction: the arylation of but-3-en-2-ol by iodobenzene catalyzed by palladium acetate in presence of triethylamine in DMF. The reaction leads to a mixture of two ketones. Students use GC analysis to quantify reagents and products of reaction. They control the…

A greener, microwave-assisted Wittig reaction has been developed for the second-semester organic teaching laboratory. Utilizing this microwave technique, a variety of styrene derivatives have been successfully synthesized from aromatic aldehydes in good yields (41-68%). The reaction not only occurs under neat reaction conditions, but also employs…

The use of harmful organic solvents in classrooms has become a critical issue of concern in the field of chemistry education. This article describes a classroom activity at a high school in which an acrylic fabric was used as the extraction medium in the analysis of the detergent concentration in water instead of organic solvents. Dyes were used…

An HPLC undergraduate experiment on the analysis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been developed. Two commonly used herbs ("glycyrrhizae radix" and "cinnamomi ramulus") are studied. Glycyrrhizin, cinnamic acid, and cinnamaldehyde are chosen as markers for the herbs. The dried herbs in their natural state and a TCM…

The series of experiments proposed for advanced undergraduate students deal with both standard organometallic preparative methods in dry anaerobic conditions and with a kinetic study of the mechanisms operating in the substitution of square-planar complexes. The preparation of organometallic compounds is carried out by transmetallation or…

The creative application of low-cost, readily available materials and techniques promotes inclusion and provides accessibility in the classroom and laboratory for students who are blind or have low vision. Difficulties encountered by these students include operation of laboratory equipment, execution of ordinary laboratory procedures, and use of…

Illustrates the scope of experimental investigations for biochemistry education in high school biology and chemistry courses. Gives a brief overview of biochemistry experiments with proteins, enzymes, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, vitamins, metabolism, electron transport, and photosynthesis including materials, procedures, and outcomes.…

Kinetics constitutes a core topic in both the lecture and laboratory components of lower- level chemistry courses. While textbook examples can ignore issues of time, temperature and safety, the laboratory can not. Reactions must occur slowly enough to be detected by students, occur rapidly enough for data collection in the few hours assigned to a…

This article describes a novel, hands-on method to qualitatively determine the extent of microbial activity in topsoil using ordinary blank paper. Appropriate and scalable for the high school and college level, these experiments expose students to some of the challenges facing environmental researchers and also contribute to curriculum development…

Describes an experiment to identify lactose and estimate the concentration of lactose in a sample of milk. Gives a background of the investigation. Details the experimental method, results and calculations. Discusses the implications of the experiment to students. Suggests further experiments using the same technique used in…

Describes two complementary laboratory exercises that use the glass fiber assay to assess receptor specificity and hormone binding affinity in rat liver cytoplasmic extracts. Details the methods, materials and protocol of the experiments. Discusses the basic concepts illustrated and the feasibility of using the experiments at the undergraduate…

Describes an experiment to discover the topology of plasma membrane aminophospholipids (phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine) using whole platelets and trinitrobenzene sulfonate (TNBS) as a probe. Reports changes in phospholipid distribution during platelet activation with simultaneous action of thrombia and collagen. Details the…

Presents a hand-out given to students at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, concerning expectations and guidelines for finishing laboratory reports. Topics covered are accuracy, data collection, and write-up format that includes introduction, materials utilized, procedures, results, discussion, conclusion, tables and illustrations, units…

This booklet introduces high school and junior high school students to the major groups of aquatic insects and to population sampling techniques. Chapter 1 consists of a short field guide which can be used to identify five separate orders of aquatic insects: odonata (dragonflies and damselflies); ephemeroptera (mayflies); diptera (true flies);…