An Undergraduate Laboratory Module Integrating Organic Chemistry and Polymer Science
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PROVIDER: S-EPMC11008100 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Materials science research has expanded significantly in recent years; a multidisciplinary field, home to an ever-growing number of chemists. However, our general chemistry degree courses have not changed to reflect the rise in interest in this topic. In this paper, we propose a laboratory experiment for the undergraduate chemistry practical course, which may serve as a hands-on introduction to this field. The experiment involves the synthesis and characterization of magnetic materials via commonly employed techniques in materials science. Students begin by producing three metal ferrite spinels using a sol-gel combustion synthesis. They must then characterize the differing magnetic properties across their three samples using a magnetic susceptibility balance. In the second part of the experiment, students must create a ferrofluid via coprecipitation, from which they may observe the phenomenon of "spiking" in response to an external magnet. Additional data such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images corresponding to these materials are also provided, and students are tasked with the interpretation of these data in their writeup report. Upon completion, students should gain a new-found understanding of materials science and its fundamental overlap with chemistry.
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Project description:An undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment involving the breakage of amide C-N bonds is reported. Whereas amides are typically considered stable species due to well-established resonance effects, this experiment allows students to cleave the amide C-N bond in a nickel-catalyzed esterification process. Moreover, students perform the experiment on the benchtop using a commercially available paraffin wax capsule containing the necessary nickel precatalyst and N-heterocyclic carbene ligand. The laboratory procedure introduces students to several modern topics in organic chemistry that are not otherwise well-represented in typical undergraduate organic chemistry curricula, such as amide bond cleavage, transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, and nonprecious-metal catalysis.
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Project description:A multi-session research-like module has been developed for use in the undergraduate organic teaching laboratory curriculum. Students are tasked with planning and executing the synthesis of a novel fluorous dye molecule and using it to explore a fluorous affinity chromatography separation technique, which is the first implementation of this technique in a teaching laboratory. Key elements of the project include gradually introducing students to the use of the chemical literature to facilitate their searching, as well as deliberate constraints designed to force them to think critically about reaction design and optimization in organic chemistry. The project also introduces students to some advanced laboratory practices such as Schlenk techniques, degassing of reaction mixtures, affinity chromatography, and microwave-assisted chemistry. This provides students a teaching laboratory experience that closely mirrors authentic synthetic organic chemistry practice in laboratories throughout the world.
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| S-EPMC4278503 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A modern undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment involving the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling is reported. Although Suzuki-Miyaura couplings typically employ palladium catalysts in environmentally harmful solvents, this experiment features the use of inexpensive nickel catalysis, in addition to a "green" alcohol solvent. The experiment employs heterocyclic substrates, which are important pharmaceutical building blocks. Thus, this laboratory procedure exposes students to a variety of contemporary topics in organic chemistry, including transition metal-catalyzed cross-couplings, green chemistry, and the importance of heterocycles in drug discovery, none of which are well represented in typical undergraduate organic chemistry curricula. The experimental protocol uses commercially available reagents and is useful in both organic and inorganic instructional laboratories.
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Project description:This paper describes the introduction of synchrotron-based macromolecular crystallography (MX) into an undergraduate laboratory class. An introductory 2 week experimental module on MX, consisting of four laboratory sessions and two classroom lectures, was incorporated into a senior-level biochemistry class focused on a survey of biochemical techniques, including the experimental characterization of proteins. Students purified recombinant protein samples, set up crystallization plates and flash-cooled crystals for shipping to a synchrotron. Students then collected X-ray diffraction data sets from their crystals via the remote interface of the Molecular Biology Consortium beamline (4.2.2) at the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley, CA, USA. Processed diffraction data sets were transferred back to the laboratory and used in conjunction with partial protein models provided to the students for refinement and model building. The laboratory component was supplemented by up to 2 h of lectures by faculty with expertise in MX. This module can be easily adapted for implementation into other similar undergraduate classes, assuming the availability of local crystallographic expertise and access to remote data collection at a synchrotron source.
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Project description:ObjectiveOpen science (OS) is a global movement focused on improving research equity, reproducibility, and transparency of research outputs in publicly funded research. While OS education in academia is becoming more common, examples of health sciences librarians providing OS training are not. This paper describes how a librarian collaborated with teaching faculty and a research program coordinator to integrate an OS curriculum into an undergraduate professional practice course and assess students' perceptions of OS after participating.MethodsA librarian developed an OS-specific curriculum for an undergraduate professional practice course in Nutrition. This course is part of the First Year Research Experience (FYRE) program, which is integrated into 13-week undergraduate courses to introduce students to core elements of the research process in their first year of study by carrying out a research project. The OS curriculum included an Introduction to OS class, a requirement that students share their research outputs in the Open Science Framework, and an assignment asking students to reflect on their experience learning about and practicing OS. Twenty-one of 30 students consented to having their reflection assignment undergo thematic analysis.ResultsStudents indicated transparency, accountability, accessibility to research outputs, and increased efficiency as positive attributes of OS. The time commitment, fear of being scooped, and concerns over having research be misinterpreted were considered negative attributes. 90% (n=19) of students indicated that they intend to practice OS in the future.ConclusionBased on strong engagement from the students, we believe that this OS curriculum could be adapted to other undergraduate or graduate student contexts where a research project is required.
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Project description:Implementing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in microchannels offers several advantages over its traditional microtiter plate-based format, including a reduced sample volume requirement, shorter incubation period, and greater sensitivity. Moreover, microfluidic ELISA platforms are inexpensive to fabricate and allow integration of analytical procedures, such as sample preconcentration, that further enhance the performance of the immunoassay. In view of the scientific potential of microfluidic ELISAs, inclusion of this technique into an undergraduate curriculum is valuable in preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers. Here, an experimental module is presented for this immunoassay method that can be completed in an undergraduate laboratory setting within two 3-h periods (including all incubation and data analyses procedures) using only a microliter of sample and reagents per assay. In addition to acquainting students with the microfluidic technology, the reported module provides training in quantitating ELISAs using the kinetic format of the assay. Furthermore, it offers a useful educational tool for introducing undergraduates to basic image analysis techniques, as well as signal-to-noise ratio and limit of detection calculations that are valuable in characterizing any analytical method.
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