The catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes and alkynes is an important part of the undergraduate chemistry curriculum and is a fundamental process in chemical industry. Inquiry-based laboratory activities are presented that investigate the hydrogenation of alkynes on a nanoparticle palladium surface to form alkenes, which go on to form alkanes. Alkyne…

Single-type, 6-fold symmetrically grooved, and commercially accessible interlocking disks (ILDs) have been used for modeling of sp[superscript 2] hybridized carbon-based nanoarchitectures and complex polyhedral and reticular material models. In the case of the carbon-based nanoarchitectures, we showcase that the primary ILDs can be directly used…

One of the more difficult concepts introduced in the first-year undergraduate course, general chemistry, is that of chirality. Typically, left and right hands are the common, macroscopic objects of reference used to demonstrate the quality of being nonsuperimposable, followed by the use of a mirror and molecular models, to illustrate molecular…

An experimental approach to chemistry is a more meaningful way to learn than the use of textbooks alone. Working in the laboratory helps students understand basic concepts through their active engagement. Here, we present a series of inexpensive and environmentally friendly laboratory exercises on acid-base equilibrium. Their difficulty level is…

Inorganic Chemistry teaches students the concept that modifications to ligand structures, especially the donor properties, can have a drastic impact on the reactivity and stability of the metal complexes. Experiments described here reinforce this concept through the investigation of two tetradentate ligands derived from…

The ability to perform air-free chemistry and catalytic reactions on an NMR tube scale are valuable skills in chemistry and not often included in undergraduate chemistry curriculum. This laboratory experiment provides students experience in synthesizing the metal complex, Ni(dcpe)(CH[subscript 3]CN)[subscript 2](BF[subscript 4])[subscript 2] (dcpe…

A virtual reality (VR) session was introduced to an advanced inorganic chemistry class, a class available to junior and senior undergraduate students at the University of California, Los Angeles. The VR session helped the students to learn complicated aspects of metal coordination chemistry and molecular orbitals via an immersive three-dimensional…

In this review article, formulae based innovative mnemonics have been discussed to create interest and remove phobia of students in the field of inorganic and organic chemistry. Educators can use these numerous mnemonics in their teaching style in the classroom lectures after discussing conventional methods to make chemistry intriguing. Here, I…

Quantum dots (QDs) are considered useful for demonstrating quantum phenomena in undergraduate laboratories due to their monodisperse size and excellent optical properties. Although doping has an increasingly important role in QD fabrication in the semiconductor field, it has rarely been discussed in the context of the undergraduate laboratory. In…

Because fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource, alternative sources of chemical carbon will be necessary as petroleum based chemicals decline during the 21st century. Carbon dioxide can serve as a source of carbon for the synthesis of useful chemicals, thereby contributing to a sustainable chemical industry. A promising technology for…

[superscript 31]P{[superscript 1]H} nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a particularly useful tool for studying the reactions of P-donor ligands such as phosphines and phosphites with transition metals and other Lewis bases because the reactions take place on the nonbonding pair of electrons on the phosphorus. In addition, [superscript 31]P…

An experiment involving a moisture-sensitive synthesis and spectroscopic characterization suitable for the advanced inorganic laboratory course is presented. The acid-base complex ammonia borane (AB) is synthesized from the heterogeneous reaction between sodium borohydride and finely ground ammonium sulfate in tetrahydrofuran solvent. AB is…

We present an accessible implementation of augmented reality projections for the depiction of complex structures and motifs, including atomic orbitals and elemental allotropes. The utilization of a free, cross-platform-compatible, online database of these structures provides the access route for closer examination, either via augmented reality or…

The American Chemical Society-Examinations Institute (ACS-EI) released the first ACS Foundations of Inorganic Chemistry Examination in 2016 to better address the two generalized types of inorganic chemistry courses (i.e., at the foundation or second/third-year level and the indepth or third/fourth-year level). The ACS Inorganic Chemistry Exam that…

A research-based inorganic chemistry laboratory course is described. Using the defined protocol of a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE), students undertake a self-designed research project to identify new catalysts for the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane. Students select ligands and metals, prepare and characterize catalysts…