The effects of kinetic vs thermodynamic control on "endo"/"exo" stereoisomer ratios can be observed in a simple Diels-Alder reaction between "N"-phenylmaleimide and furan. The use of microwave-promoted synthesis affords the cycloadducts in yields ranging from 65-100%, employing reaction times of 1-10 min at…

An easy operating tool has been developed for the quick measurement of thermoelectric power. The setup is made using a tweezer which consists of two circular copper plate electrodes. These copper electrodes are fixed to two arms of the tweezer which act as hot and cold probes. The setup has the very important advantage of easy sample mounting and…

For 26 years, it has been assumed by some that the thermodynamics of open-system biochemical reactions must be executed by performing Legendre transformations on the terms involving the species whose concentrations are being held fixed. In contrast, standard nontransformed thermodynamics applies to chemical processes. However, it has recently been…

Assessments are an integral part of academic environments and can present opportunities for students to make sense of novel contexts using their existing ideas. Assessments also provide insights on students' learning and the efficacy of the pedagogical practices. Consequently, physics education research shares a storied history of developing…

The main purpose of this study was to describe the development and use of a flowchart for preservice chemistry teachers' problem solving on the First Law of Thermodynamics. Twenty-seven undergraduate preservice chemistry teachers attending a Physical Chemistry course participated in this study. The responses of the participants to the set of test…

Watching over a coffee maker in operation, and designing a simple experiment using it, invokes familiar and unfamiliar physical phenomena and techniques involving calorimetry and heat transfer.

Entropy is a concept with an extreme controversy which many scientists have been trying to explain. Some of the approaches employed in its definition contradict each other, which made it extremely difficult for high school and college students to understand. Boltzmann was the first person who brought a statistical explanation to entropy and…

Constructing causal mechanistic explanations of observable phenomena is a key science practice that is often challenging for students as most mechanisms involve interactions of unobservable entities and activities. In this study, we examined how gesturing with a computer simulation that depicts the molecular mechanism of thermal conduction…

The Reaction Coordinate Diagram Inventory (RCDI) was developed to measure chemistry students' thinking and confidence when interpreting the kinetic and thermodynamic information encoded within reaction coordinate diagrams (RCDs). The RCDI was designed based upon analyses of qualitative data collected in semi-structured interviews with general…

This paper provides seven topics on sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO[subscript 3]) and its ions for readers looking for familiar material phenomena to strengthen students' understanding of the chemical concepts of thermodynamics. The first concept is the ideal gas law, followed by the van't Hoff equation, Gibbs energy, pH change, chemical…

The need for online education continues to grow in many fields and disciplines driven by convenience and public health and safety concerns. Little is known about how online doctoral education affects the readiness of future faculty members to work and teach in university settings. This autoethnographic study explores the intentional socialization…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection in Artificial Intelligence Tools in Physics Teaching and Physics Education Research.] Using a high-stakes thermodynamics exam as the sample (252 students, four multipart problems), we investigate the viability of four workflows for AI-assisted grading of handwritten student solutions. We find that the…

In this laboratory experiment, students apply a mass-based approach to determine the Henry's law constant for CO[subscript 2] using a small bottle of a diet carbonated beverage. The calculations are challenging; therefore, team-based learning is encouraged. Our students reported values of 0.033 ± 0.003 mol/(L[middle dot]atm) at room temperature…

The overarching goal of this paper is to illustrate the interplay between theory, design principles, and curriculum (meant broadly, to include both written and enacted curriculum). This dialogue is illustrated in the context of the design and implementation of a particular curricular unit on thermodynamics intended for advanced secondary students…

Two bodies initially at different temperatures gathered into an isolated container exchange heat and reach an equilibrium state with a common final temperature. During the process, the system is out of equilibrium and its intermediate temperature is not well defined. By conceiving a quasi-static process with infinitesimal steps from the initial to…