Recent studies have reported a growing trend of using student-generated diagrams for assessment in science teaching and research. However, many educators tend to use diagrams to explore students' perceptions of scientists and their work rather than explore conceptual understanding of abstract concepts. In this study, we used diagrams to…

A [beta]-lactam, the core structure unit of clinically important antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporin, is one of the most commonly encountered four-membered heterocycles in organic chemistry and is widely used in medicine and biochemistry. The Kinugasa reaction, a copper­(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition of a terminal alkyne with a nitrone,…

We present an approach to the question of the educational relations between chemistry and physics based on the one hand, on an inferentialist account of scientific representation (Suárez M., (2024), "Inference and Representation. A Study in Modelling Science," Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press). On the other, we have…

This study proposes a lab experiment consisting of three consecutive steps designed to expose undergraduate students to the fundamental aspects of nanoscience. Two different procedures for the reduction of silver ions were provided: Th was obtained. Next, the students explored the aggregation process of silver nanoparticles by converting one…

Students need a strong understanding of how to represent chemical compounds in order to succeed in organic chemistry. This project set out to gain a better understanding of students' difficulties with symbolic representations, by identifying the specific errors associated with drawing wedge-dash structures. The focus was on how students…

A deep understanding of organic chemistry requires a learner to understand many concepts and have fluency with multiple skills. This understanding is particularly necessary for constructing and using mechanisms to explain chemical reactions. Electrophilicity and nucleophilicity are two fundamental concepts to learning and understanding reaction…

This article presents computational chemistry exercises that are designed to be incorporated into an undergraduate physical chemistry course. This activity teaches computational chemistry as it is performed in higher-level research (in a command-line environment and executed on a high-performance computing cluster) to provide students with a…

Nanoscience and technology research offer exciting avenues to modernize undergraduate-level General Chemistry curricula. In particular, spherical nucleic acid (SNA) nanoconjugates, which behave as "programmable atom equivalents" (PAEs) in the context of colloidal crystals, are one system that one can use to reinforce foundational…

Understanding organic reaction mechanisms can be a challenging task for many undergraduate students, particularly those who are nonchemistry majors, despite the fact that organic chemistry is a mandatory course for numerous science and engineering undergraduate programs. The selectivity of a reaction is largely determined by the distribution and…

The introduction of Computational Chemistry via "Molecular Modelling and Drug Design" course at undergraduate level has opened wide possibilities for students to expand their knowledge of quantum chemistry, organic reaction mechanisms, protein-ligand interactions, drug design, and probable "in vivo" behavior of drug candidates.…

This review describes a computational chemistry exercise aimed at enhancing the understanding of upper-division undergraduates in organic chemistry and physical chemistry regarding the structures and aromaticities of cyclobutadiene and cyclooctatetraene. This exercise exposes students to chemical problems that require computational methods as a…

The concepts taught in an undergraduate physical chemistry course are directly related to the molecular processes governing climate change, yet the connections between quantum mechanical molecular properties and global warming are rarely made explicit. To improve student knowledge about climate change, we developed a three-part activity that…

Chemistry undergraduate curricula typically place Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) lectures under either Organic Chemistry or Spectroscopy courses, aiming for students to acquire basic knowledge for the determination of the structure of simple organic compounds. On the other hand, regarding laboratory practice, NMR is frequently disregarded by…

The classic silver mirror reaction at room temperature in textbooks usually used glucose to react with silver nitrate and ammonium nitrate with the presence of caustic alkalis. But the aldehydes such as acetaldehyde and propionaldehyde were difficult to react under the same condition. In this paper, Na[subscript 2]CO[subscript 3] was used to…

Protein structure-function relationship serves as the primary learning outcome in any undergraduate biochemistry course. We expanded the protein structure-function exploration, PSFE initiative during COVID-19 to provide more effective and engaging experience to our undergraduates in biochemistry and independent research courses. Multiple…