A national survey on chemistry instructional laboratories was administered to faculty members at four-year postsecondary institutions in the United States for the purpose of exploring levels of inquiry-based instruction implemented in laboratory courses. Respondents were asked to rate the level of choice their students had in deciding six key…

In this article, we apply Max Weber's ideal types of fief and benefice feudalism to elite and non-elite chemistry departments in the USA. We develop a theoretical analogy of academic feudalism in regard to three dimensions: power relations, engagement with companies, and the impact of structural changes on the autonomy of scholars. We use a mixed…

Protein engineering is a powerful tool, which correlates protein structure with specific functions, both in applied biotechnology and in basic research. Here, we present a practical teaching course for engineering the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from "Aequorea victoria" by a random mutagenesis strategy using error-prone polymerase…

Jose Maria Albareda (1902-1966) was an applied chemist and a prominent member of the Roman Catholic organization, Opus Dei, who played a crucial role in organizing the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientficas (CSIC), the new scientific institution created by the Franco regime in 1939. The paper analyses first the formative years in…

Even though the author and his colleagues are part of a major research university, they agonize, in meeting after meeting, over the 5 to 10-percent yearly cuts they need to make in their chemistry department's budget. By and large, those end up coming from education, not research, especially in faculty replacements and teaching assistants. The…

Discrepancies abound in use of the word "inquiry." In this paper, the authors propose a quantitative rubric designed to characterize the level of inquiry in laboratory activities and laboratory curricula. They do not wish to answer the question, "What is inquiry?" but rather, provide a tool for identifying its varying degrees of student…

Describes areas of inorganic chemistry which have changed dramatically in the past year or two, including photochemistry, electrochemistry, organometallic complexes, inorganic reaction theory, and solid state chemistry. (DS)

Traces electronegativity in four fundamental areas of chemistry during the period 1870-1910: (1) the relationship between electronegativity and classical valence; (2) the relationship between electronegativity and periodic law; (3) the relationship between electronegativity thermochemistry; and (4) the relationship between electronegativity and…

The challenges faced by the predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUI) due to the changing landscape of higher education and research are described. An Undergraduate Research Summit recommends methods for the enhancement of the amount, quality, productivity and visibility of chemistry research at predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUI).

Presents highlights of a conference that provided an open forum for experts in statistics and in chemistry to exchange views on how research in statistical modeling and analysis can affect research in chemistry. A list of activities to reach new "customers" (including teaching chemometrics in high school) is included. (JN)

Discusses the chemistry of comets. How comets provide clues to the birth of the solar system, photolytic reactions on comets involving water, chemical modeling, nuclear chemistry, and research findings are among the areas considered. (JN)

Discusses comparisons of packing densities derived from known molar volume data of liquids and solutions. Suggests further studies for using assemblies of spheres as models for simple liquids and solutions. (MLH)

This paper explores how Fourier Transform (FT) mimics spectral transformation, how this property can be exploited to advantage in spectroscopy, and how the FT can be used in data treatment. A table displays a number of important FT serial/spectral pairs related by Fourier Transformations. A bibliography and listing of computer software related to…

Discusses the toxicity of metals; each metal is presented with information concerning its biological function, its natural state, and a variety of other factors. (SA)

Discusses the physical basis and current understanding of hydrophobic effects. The thermodynamic background of the effects, hydrophobic hydration, and hydrophobic interactions are described. Four existing controversies are outlined. (YP)