Journal of Chemical Education最新文献

The rise of fake news, encompassing misinformation and disinformation, threatens societal progress, particularly in environmental science and the pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This study explores the integration of the CRAAP framework (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose) into an Environmental Chemistry course at a leading university in Asia to examine students’ approaches to source evaluation and perceptions of its utility. Sixteen third- and fourth-year chemistry students evaluated news articles before and after CRAAP training, with responses assessed using an analytic rubric. Students performed relatively well in assessing Currency, Relevance, and Purpose, but reflected a weaker performance in Authority and Accuracy. Positive student feedback highlighted the framework’s perceived usefulness and applicability beyond the course. This study highlights the potential of embedding information literacy tools within discipline-specific curriculum, identifying directions for future research to examine long-term retention and strengthening of complex evaluative skills, so as to empower students toward becoming informed citizens in a post-truth era.

An outreach event for secondary school students has been designed and implemented to demonstrate the potential roles chemistry can play within the life cycle of plastics. This event entailed a short prelab lecture to introduce students to plastics and sustainable chemistry, followed by students performing three different laboratory activities on rotation. In Activity 1, students investigate the chemical basis behind the density float and infrared (IR) spectroscopic techniques employed in the sorting of traditional plastics for mechanical recycling. For Activity 2, students synthesize a polymer using delta-valerolactone, a renewable monomer that can be made from lignocellulosic biomass. In Activity 3, students examine the reaction conditions required to degrade poly(lactic acid) (PLA) back into the lactic acid monomer. Through these activities, students gain a holistic view of the plastics problem by engaging with various parts of the life cycle, and students should appreciate the various end-of-life options that can be exploited by chemists to help reduce the impact of plastics. Student feedback was collected using a survey to assess students’ affect before and after the event, which showed a marked positive increase in attitude toward chemistry. Student feedback was also collected via a questionnaire, in which students expressed their agreement that sustainability is of great personal concern and that chemistry can play a role in reaching sustainability goals.

Learning Assistants (LAs) are widely used to improve student outcomes in STEM, but their impact may vary across course levels and student populations. This multisemester, quasi-experimental study directly compared LA-supported and non-LA-supported sections of General Chemistry I and II, taught by the same instructor using identical assessments at a public R2 institution. Student performance (exam scores, DFW rates, GPA) and affective outcomes (self-efficacy, sense of belonging) were assessed using validated instruments. Results showed that LAs significantly improved exam scores, reduced DFW rates, and increased GPA in General Chemistry I while producing minimal gains in General Chemistry II, where students entered with higher preparation. Growth in self-efficacy was the strongest GPA predictor. LA programs appear most effective in early gateway STEM courses, where building self-efficacy boosts performance and persistence.

An undergraduate quantitative analysis chemistry laboratory was designed to introduce students to nanochemistry and green chemistry while fostering a sustainability mindset that aligns with the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. Two gold nanoparticle (AuNP) syntheses were used to teach students about green chemistry and sustainability: a modified Frens synthesis, a scaled-down version of the synthesis first published in the 1970s, and a synthesis that incorporates tea as a reducing reagent inspired by Sharma et al. This laboratory experiment was carried out over two 4-h laboratory meetings spanning 2 weeks with Green Chemistry Principles integrated into each stage of learning. Students were engaged in the theme of sustainability in prelab discussion, applied it throughout the hands-on syntheses, and reflected on it through the postlab, encouraging critical thinking throughout the synthetic process. This structure provides a teaching framework that instills Green Chemistry Principles 1, 6, and 7 of Prevention, Design for Energy Efficiency, and Use of Renewable Feedstocks, which are applied directly in the lab rather than as abstract principles. Due to AuNPs’ distinct characteristic absorbance peak between 520–550 nm, populations of monodisperse, pseudospherical AuNPs were identified. Through examination of spectroscopic data, comparison of these two products yields student knowledge about AuNP properties, including size, shape, and dispersity. This laboratory provides a foundation for teaching undergraduates about nanoparticles and lays the groundwork for fostering a green and sustainable mindset along with environmental responsibility in students, which can be carried forward in the fields of academia, research, and industry.

Organic chemistry is widely regarded as a challenging subject, especially for nonchemistry majors who often find it abstract and disconnected from their academic or career interests. This explanatory study investigates the integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated stories and analogies─developed by the course instructor─as pedagogical tools to improve student motivation and engagement. A cohort of 52 undergraduate students majoring in pharmacy and biochemistry participated in a semester-long intervention involving AI-generated narrative preclass readings, in-class explanatory activities, and take-home storytelling assignments. Materials were tailored using ChatGPT to reflect students’ disciplinary backgrounds. Student feedback was collected through surveys, concept quizzes, and in-class observations. Student self-reports indicated that AI-generated stories were perceived as more effective than traditional instructional explanations, especially with respect to clarity, enjoyment, relevance, and memorability. Students expressed a clear preference for narrative and analogy-based formats, and many adopted these approaches in their own explanations during discussions. In-class use of AI─by both the instructor and students─enabled real-time clarification of misconceptions and supported peer-generated analogies, fostering active participation and critical thinking. In the take-home assignment on free radical halogenation, students created personalized AI-assisted stories using tailored prompts; nearly all included the full mechanistic sequence, although performance on individual substeps was more moderate, while clarity and coherence were generally strong. These findings offer preliminary evidence supporting the potential pedagogical value of AI-assisted storytelling in chemistry education, given the study’s reliance on a modest sample size and self-reported student perceptions. By enabling differentiated instruction, enhancing engagement, and making abstract content more accessible, tools like ChatGPT can serve as a powerful complement to traditional instructional strategies, especially in classrooms with diverse learners.

Motivated by low student engagement in a traditional expository solvatochromism first-year undergraduate practical, and preuniversity student misconceptions around solvation, we have developed an accelerated argument-based learning framework to use for a group-based guided-inquiry investigation into Reichardt’s dye, a solvatochromic dye. Students are introduced to solvatochromism, preferential solvation, and relevant experimental techniques in two carefully scaffolded UV–visible spectroscopic studies. Following this, students use their gained knowledge from these first sections to plan and execute a group-based investigation into halochromism. Students work collaboratively to collect and utilize their data to refine their method until they have sufficient evidence to answer three inquiry-based questions. The group then present their data to an instructor acting as ″peer-reviewer”, aiding the group in evaluating their method, data collected, and conclusions. Instructors report enhanced student engagement, and students report improved experimental design skills. This work demonstrates an effective and evidence-based model for incorporating essential skills in experimental design and group-working into early stage curricula.

Despite the growing popularity of electrochemical (bio)sensor development as a starting point for manufacturing point-of-care testing devices, there are no reports showing beginners in this research field a standard protocol to follow. This means that many master’s and PhD students conduct unsuccessful and unnecessary experiments because they do not receive formal training in this technique as part of their coursework. The aim of this tutorial is therefore to provide a practical guide to developing an electrochemical (bio)sensor, offering sufficient detail to enable students and instructors to adopt the protocol in their learning and teaching activities. Furthermore, this paper will assist beginners and electrochemistry researchers by providing clear, simplified laboratory procedures. It will focus on describing the various parameters involved in developing an electrochemical (bio)sensor and explaining the importance of each one and how to optimize it. These will be presented chronologically, from electrochemical material characterization to application as (bio)sensors. Supporting examples of existing publications will be provided, alongside discussions of topics such as the electrochemical characterization of the modified working electrode, the electrochemical behavior of analytes, optimization of (bio)sensor parameters, evaluation of the robustness of (bio)sensors, and the application of (bio)sensors in real media.

We report a revised solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) protocol for the Distributed Drug Discovery (D3) program that integrates green chemistry principles into the undergraduate laboratory setting. The updated protocol replaces hazardous solvents and reagents with greener and more accessible alternatives: ethyl acetate, 4-methylpiperidine, and T3P. This updated protocol reduces total solvent use by approximately 20%, lowers costs, and minimizes health and environmental risks, while achieving the requisite product yields and purities for biological screening. The revised experiment was implemented in second-semester organic chemistry courses, where students successfully synthesized fluorophenylalanine-derived dipeptides and analyzed products using TLC, LC-MS, and ¹H NMR. A green chemistry worksheet was created as a complementary classroom activity to teach sustainability principles in the context of peptide synthesis. This work demonstrates a scalable approach to combining authentic drug discovery research with sustainable laboratory practices, providing a model for course-based undergraduate research experiences that promote both technical skill development and environmental responsibility.

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UV–vis spectrophotometry are indispensable techniques in pharmaceutical and food analysis, yet students often struggle to connect theoretical principles with real-world applications. This laboratory experiment addresses this gap by engaging third-year chemistry students in the optimization and validation of HPLC and UV–vis methods for the simultaneous quantification of curcumin and ascorbic acid in commercial tablets. Designed as a capstone project for a Chemical Technician program, the activity emphasizes inquiry-based learning: student teams design protocols, prepare calibration standards, extract analytes from complex matrices, and validate their methods by calculating detection limits (LODs), quantification limits (LOQs), recovery rates, and linear dynamic ranges. The project’s authenticity─using industrially relevant samples and quality control metrics─proved pedagogically powerful: postlab surveys revealed enhanced student confidence in troubleshooting and method development. By integrating collaborative problem-solving, regulatory-compliant documentation, and comparative analysis of two analytical techniques, this experiment bridges classroom theory with professional practice. The modular design allows adaptation for courses with varying resources, and all supporting materials (pre/post assessments, instructor guides, and sample data sets) are provided for implementation.

Chemical synthesis and structural characterization are core competencies in medicinal chemistry. Herein, we presented a comprehensive undergraduate experimental module focused on Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors, integrating the synthesis and structural identification of Ibrutinib Intermediate derivatives. The curriculum encompasses prelab literature review on BTK inhibitor development, synthetic route designing, and review academic writing. In-lab feasibility analysis, target molecule synthesis, purification via recrystallization, and structural verification were carried out using HPLC-MS and NMR spectroscopy. Postlab assessments include group presentations for knowledge integration. Two cohorts of students demonstrated improved comprehension of pharmaceutical synthesis methodologies and heightened interest in medicinal chemistry through this interdisciplinary, hands-on training.