Anaerobic digestion is a complex biochemical process that is represented by the stoichiometric Buswell's equation. Buswell's equation is the study of the interface among biochemistry, mathematics, and chemistry. Students often have difficulty in understanding the nature of biochemical stoichiometry. Buswell's equation is significant for the…

Valence shell electron pair repulsion theory (VSEPR) as explained in most textbooks predicts that substituents bonded to a central atom in AX[subscript n]E[subscript z][superscript c] species (A = main-group central atom, X = substituent, E = lone pair on central atom, c = charge) will change their X-A-X angles to bend away from the lone pairs.…

Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) has revolutionized our ability to visualize cellular structures, offering unprecedented detail. However, the intricate biophysical principles that underlie SMLM can be daunting for newcomers, particularly undergraduate and graduate students. To address this challenge, we introduce the fundamental…

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…

Atoms may repel or attract each other, but bound systems get virtually all of the attention in the classroom. To address the imbalance, instructors can explore the basis of repulsion in a few simple systems and highlight the important role played by the Pauli principle. A good example is the first triplet excited state of H[subscript 2] wherein…

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…

In this article, we describe a fully computational laboratory exercise that results in an increase of students' understanding of what quantum chemical geometry optimization calculations are doing to find minimum energy structures. This laboratory exercise was conducted several times over multiple years at a small private undergraduate institution,…

This perspective paper analyses the possibilities and challenges of using cheminformatics as a context for STEM education. The objective is to produce theoretical insights through a SWOT analysis of an authentic educational cheminformatics project where future chemistry teachers engineered a physical 3D model using cheminformatics software and a…

This paper addresses policy effects of international mobility in developing countries. It proposes a multilevel approach to study research training policies, specifically focusing on international mobility schemes as capacity-building instruments, where effects need to be identified at both individual and organizational levels. The paper asserts…

The main difficulty in studying molecular symmetry is the mental manipulation of molecules when searching for symmetry. Numerous methods of teaching molecular symmetry require students to identify symmetry elements of objects or molecules. As an alternative, we propose activity that identifies symmetry using elements outside the objects, together…

Different molecular representations are usually used to depict the three-dimensional (3D) structure of organic compounds. Mastering the skill of interconverting one form into another is essential for students to ensure success in organic chemistry. The traditional and recently developed methods for completing such interconversions that rely on 3D…

In undergraduate science education, laboratory courses stand as essential cornerstones of experiential learning. Chemistry laboratory courses offer students unique hands-on experiences that bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. The journey through the undergraduate chemistry curriculum is paved with a series of…

One of the main topics of elementary physics is the idea that every material is composed of "little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one other." These particles could be atoms or molecules. Atoms are the smallest part into…

The concept of an atom with an expanded octet, known as hypervalency, has persisted in the general chemistry curriculum, despite abundant theoretical work disputing its veracity. Here, the electronic structure of traditionally hypervalent molecules (H[subscript 2]SO[subscript 3], H[subscript 2]SO[subscript 4], PF[subscript 5], and SF[subscript 6])…

General Chemistry serves virtually all STEM students. It has been accused of covering content in a "mile wide and inch deep" fashion. This has made it very difficult to assess, where chemistry educators have relied on assessments of specific topics. Assessing across all these different topics requires introducing many different chemical…