This experiment demonstrates that copper(II) chloride dihydrate (CuCl[subscript 2]·2H[subscript 2]O) in different solvents (acetone, isopropyl alcohol, or water) displays divergent colors and visible-near IR spectra. Both the reactions of these solutions with 2 equiv of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and the direct solid-state reaction of CuCl[subscript…

An advanced research discovery laboratory course in inorganic chemistry has been developed to engage undergraduate students in authentic research experiences directly related to concepts and theory taught in the lecture portion of the course. The 12-week laboratory involves an initial 4 weeks of training experiments on inorganic/organometallic…

This study investigates students' cognitive resources for identifying symmetry elements using survey data collected from 39 inorganic chemistry students from twelve undergraduate inorganic classes at universities across the United States. We propose a framework that leverages students' knowledge of symmetry elements as a manifold of cognitive…

Game-based learning has been shown to promote active learning. We have designed a card game termed CountQuest, played on the online platform Zoom, to facilitate the revision of the effective atomic number (EAN) concept for metal complexes previously taught in lectures. This game was played by undergraduate and graduate chemistry students during…

The association between student motivation and learning, and changes in motivation across a course, were evaluated for students enrolled in one-semester foundation-level inorganic chemistry courses at multiple postsecondary institutions across the United States. The Academic Motivation Scale for Chemistry (AMS-Chemistry) and the Foundations of…

A two-component undergraduate laboratory experience has been developed by students in a senior level capstone course. The first component is a 3 h laboratory experience dedicated to the rapid synthesis of a metal-organic framework (MOF-808) in aqueous solution using readily available reagents and equipment. During the second component, MOF-808 was…

Despite tremendous efforts by instructors and textbook authors, students find it difficult to develop useful chemical intuitions about structures and key properties of the important d-block organometallic species that have a d[superscript 6], d[superscript 8], or d[superscript 10] d-electron count. A full molecular orbital analysis is not always…

A comprehensive laboratory-style teaching activity involving the synthesis, characterization, and analysis of structure-activity relationships of metal-organic framework (MOF) nanozymes was developed specifically for undergraduates at Tianjin University. The students acquired familiarity with the general approach in synthesizing MOFs by…

An integrated inorganic chemistry laboratory experience focusing on heterogeneous electrocatalysis with nickel (Ni)- and cobalt (Co)-based electrocatalysts is designed for upper-division, major-level chemistry students. In this laboratory, students will be guided through the fabrication of an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass working electrode,…

As ongoing digitalization accelerates the execution of experiments and the documentation and storage of the corresponding data substantially, appropriate research data management (RDM) is a necessity to enable sustainable research at all. Consequently, a rethinking is currently taking place in academia. This process becomes visible by the…

Three-dimensional symmetry plays a crucial role in crystallography education. The educational process can be facilitated by introducing the analysis of friezes and plane patterns such as parquets before presenting more sophisticated crystal structures. Analysis of the symmetry of parquets can serve as an opportunity to follow the full routine of…

Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of titanosilicate ETS-10 was used as a means to prepare students for a research-focused independent term project as part of a 200-level descriptive inorganic chemistry course. Students spent the first 7 weeks of the course learning synthesis and characterization techniques that are common for metal oxide…

High quality feedback on assessments and deliverables is vital to student success. This pilot study sought to understand the impact of combining positive and performance-gap feedback in an immediate feedback scenario where students were provided multiple attempts to complete an assignment. 176 online undergraduate students were surveyed after…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an acclaimed educational concept for laboratory teaching in chemistry, which significantly affects learner motivation. A central aim of PBL is to overcome educational problems with "cook-book" laboratories. For example, when students receive experimental instructions and apply the instructions similar to…

A research-style laboratory experiment for advanced undergraduate students is described, which includes the synthesis, characterization, and properties (porosity, stability, amphipathy) testing of the composite [Cu[subscript 2](BTC)[subscript 4/3](H[subscript 2]O)[subscript 2][subscript 6][HPW[subscript 12]O[subscript 40]·(C[subscript…