An upper-division undergraduate- or graduate-level laboratory experiment, challenging students to identify bovine serum albumin, equine myoglobin, bovine calmodulin, and bovine cytochrome c, uses four methods of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS): linear positive, in-source decay, peptide…

The Leidenfrost nanochemistry synthesis of gold colloids was introduced in this "Journal" as an advanced method to synthesize gold nanoparticles during an undergraduate nanochemistry research project. When trying to repeat these experiments in the laboratory, we experienced difficulties in the synthesis of the gold nanoparticles since…

BYOL (Bring Your Own Lime), a novel laboratory experiment, is introduced in this paper. Students are encouraged to bring affordable household and grocery store chemicals into the classroom. The Bring Your Own Chemical (BYOC) concept demonstrates to students that food and household products are chemicals too. Citruses are often used to highlight…

Determination of enzyme activity is crucial for discovery, research, and development in life sciences. The activity of enzymes is routinely determined using spectrophotometric assays that measure rates of substrate consumption or product formation. Though colorimetric-based detection systems are simple, rapid, and economical to perform, the…

The trajectory of a ball rolling across an inclined plane was recorded on video film to determine if it followed a parabolic path as others have suggested. The challenges in this case were (a) to determine the magnitude and direction of the friction force on the ball, (b) to determine the effect of the friction force on the trajectory and (c) to…

Blue (B), yellow (Y), red (R), and green (G) color-changing dye was used in a general chemistry course for first-year undergraduate students with nonscience majors to highlight the redox reactions written as the gain and loss of hydrogen. The first experiment is a vibrant color variation using a synthetic dye of indigo carmine. The second…

The dehydration of 2- or 4-methylcyclohexanol to obtain isomers of methylcyclohexene is a classic organic chemistry experiment. Students perform a distillation, collecting samples to analyze the progress of the reaction. The reaction produces a major product that can be explained on the basis of the regiochemistry of the [pi] bond formation for…

We describe an educational activity that can be done by using smartphones to collect data in physics experiments aimed to measure the oscillating period of a spring-mass system and the elastic constant of the helicoidal spring by the dynamic method. Results for the oscillating period and for the elastic constant of the spring agree very well with…

We report on a simple, rapid, and room-temperature undergraduate-level experiment for gold nanoparticle synthesis, analysis, and utilization as a catalyst for the sodium-borohydride-assisted reduction of methylene blue and Congo red dyes. Typical procedures toward gold nanoparticle formation require an elaborate, lengthy synthesis (some requiring…

The concept of equilibrium vapor pressure plays a key role in the general chemistry curriculum; it is among the first and most easily demonstrated examples of equilibrium and frequently caps off the first semester of general chemistry where it illustrates the properties of liquids and intermolecular forces. We report here simple modifications of…

All-solid-state polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have been regarded as an advisible alternative for simultaneously overcoming the safety issues and high energy density demands presented in traditional lithium batteries, and they represent the development orientation of energy storage devices. This course describes the preparation of a cross-linked and…

Secondary metabolite compounds contained in each plant genus have certain characteristics, which is true also of the flavonoid in the genus "Artocarpus." In the experiment described here, third-year undergraduate students performed the isolation and characterization of cycloartocarpin from the roots of "Artocarpus altilis"…

According to the definition, surface tension could be affected not only by intermolecular interaction but also by molecular area. However, in chemistry textbooks, surface tension is mainly explained only in terms of intermolecular interaction. Although the existing surface tension concept in the textbooks can lead to a variety of counterexamples,…

A classic undergraduate introductory experiment is to measure the diffraction and interference pattern from single and double slits to determine slit width and separation. Studies show that Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) can make science more inclusive when offered at the undergraduate level. Additionally, CUREs help…

A laboratory exercise for the synthesis of a sulfonated styrene-"co"-maleic anhydride polymer and its application as a stain blocker on nylon-6,10, is described. The effectiveness of the sulfonated polymer to prevent the conjugate base of an acid dye from staining the polyamide is demonstrated. This experiment is designed for…