Second-year Chemistry Research Articles

Analysis of Students' Understanding of the Carbon Cycle through the GCCDI Approach in Environmental Chemistry Education

This study aims to analyze the understanding of first and second-year Chemistry Education students about the global carbon cycle. The design of this research is descriptive research, using the Global Carbon Cycle Diagnostic Instrument (GCCDI) instrument with 11 questions. The subjects of this study were first- and second-year undergraduate students of Chemistry Education at Bengkulu University, with a total of 15 students in each group. The students' understanding was analyzed qualitatively through the survey method. The data were analyzed and categorized into four groups: understand, misconception, doubt, and do not understand for the GCCDI. The students' understanding was categorized into simple, medium, and complex schemes for the survey method. The results indicated that, for first- and second-year students, respectively, the category of understanding comprised 53.31% and 58% of responses, the misconception category accounted for 22.38% and 27.24%, the doubtful category represented 4.8% and 6.65%, and the category of "does not understand" comprised 19% and 7.85%. The survey method was employed to analyze the responses of first- and second-year students on three schemes: simple (40% and 20%), medium (26.6% and 33.3%), and complex (33.3% and 46.6%). The low level of understanding of the carbon cycle indicates the need for more effective learning approaches, such as in-depth curriculum development, the use of interactive learning methods, and the integration of technology to improve students' understanding of the carbon cycle concept in the broader context of science.

Teaching Stereochemistry with Multimedia and Hands-On Models: The Relationship between Students’ Scientific Reasoning Skills and The Effectiveness of Model Type

This paper presents an analysis of the use of multimedia and hands-on models on university students’ understanding of stereochemistry. The relationship between students’ scientific reasoning skills and their understanding of stereochemistry was also determined. Two groups of second-year chemistry students from the State University of Malang taking organic chemistry for the 2020/21 academic year participated in this study. One group of students experienced stereochemistry teaching using multimedia models and the other hands-on models as the learning medium. Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning and Short-Answer Stereochemistry Test were applied. The former was deployed to measure students’ scientific reasoning skills, while the latter was used to test their understanding of stereochemistry. The results revealed that the students’ scientific reasoning skills were significantly below the expected standard, falling in the low category. Students with high scientific reasoning skills exhibited a better understanding of stereochemistry than those with low levels. Both multimedia and hands-on models revealed an equal contribution towards students’ understanding of stereochemistry. Also, it suggests that multimedia models tend to favour students with high scientific reasoning skills, while hands-on models favour those with low skills.

Engaging Early College Students in Their Chemical Education through Academic Support: A Pandemic Era Effort

The emergence of COVID-19 significantly hindered student access to valuable university resources aimed at promoting engagement and academic success. The need to adapt the academic support services to a virtual environment also presented an opportunity to tailor these services to be more effective in chemical education. The primary goal of this work was to develop a program to increase student participation in tutoring services and improve the quality of educational support offered to first- and second-year chemistry students. By restructuring staff roles, carefully developing online sessions, maintaining close communication with teaching faculty, and focusing on student outreach, the number of students taking advantage of the tutoring program soared from an average of 6% prepandemic to 53% in a virtual environment. There is a well-established link between increased student engagement and positive educational outcomes. Student achievement (based on final grades) was better among those students who took advantage of academic support services compared to those who did not participate. These results justified using a hybrid format when in-person sessions were resumed. Despite the unprecedented challenges, this study proves that a carefully designed virtual learning support service can foster student success by engaging students in their chemistry coursework. While this model has been proven to be valuable in chemical education, we suggest that it would also be successful if adapted to other disciplines.

Distinguishing Vinylic and Aromatic 1H NMR Signals Using Selectively Deuterated Chalcones

1H NMR spectroscopy is a molecular characterization technique that is ubiquitously used in research and teaching laboratories alike. Strategic deuteration of molecules is a commonly employed technique in the deconvolution of 1H NMR signals. Here this approach is applied in a second-year chemistry course in which students synthesize 4-methoxychalcone using the Claisen–Schmidt variant of the foundational aldol reaction. The 1H NMR spectrum is complicated by a crowded aromatic and alkene region due in part to extensive conjugation through the two phenyl groups surrounding an α,β-unsaturated ketone. This report demonstrates that students gain competence and confidence in making 1H NMR assignments when presented with a curated set of selectively deuterated chalcones rather than the corresponding spectrum of the fully protiated chalcone. While deuteration does not resolve all of the challenges associated with interpreting this spectrum, it is an invaluable tool to complement chemical shifts (including the predictive nature of resonance structures), integration, and spin–spin splitting. A proposed lecture is presented that is timed to correlate with the performance of the chalcone synthesis lab. Assessment data collected before and after the lecture and then again on the final exam point to the effectiveness of this approach.

Student Experiences of Emergency Remote Teaching: Impacts of Instructor Practice on Student Learning, Engagement, and Well-Being

In-person teaching activities at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus were curtailed in the midst of a semester as a result of the global shutdowns imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. All instruction shifted online, and this rapid transition to emergency remote teaching had negative impacts on student learning, engagement, and mental well-being. This phenomenological study describes the results of surveys and interviews used to assess the emergency remote teaching experiences of students enrolled in second-year chemistry courses. Major student challenges included issues with motivation and engagement, personal scheduling, faculty communication, and increased stress and anxiety. This research recommends clear communication and flexible teaching and assessment methods to accommodate the assorted complications faced by our students.

John McCutcheon

John McCutcheon

Effects of Shade on Antibacterial Production in <i>Aloe Vera</i> Plants: A Model Course Based Undergraduate Research Experience for First- and Second-Year Chemistry and Biochemistry Students

As a means to promote student engagement in chemistry, this proposed course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) provides an opportunity for students to research a topic that is particularly prevalent in national public health headlines. Antibiotic resistance is a public health issue of increasing concern as result of the overuse and often misuse of antibiotics. For this reason, it is important to explore a variety of avenues to discover novel antibiotics, including isolating bioactive natural products from plants and other organisms. Organisms such as plants, bacteria, and fungi have long been utilized for their antibacterial properties, but little is known for how the majority of these natural remedies are affected by varying growth conditions. Herein, we propose a method through which students in first- and second-year chemistry or biochemistry laboratory courses can manipulate growth factors of Aloe vera, an antibiotic-producing plant, to probe how those manipulations affect antibiotic production and therefore Aloe vera’s effectiveness as an herbal medicine. Aloe vera plants were grown under varying shade conditions, and their gel was extracted and evaluated for antibiotic activity using both a broth microdilution assay and an agar diffusion assay against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Through this model, students are able to develop critical thinking skills, derive a hypothesis, and use analytical and biochemical techniques to evaluate their hypothesis.

A review and evaluation of the internal structure and consistency of the Approaches to Teaching Inventory

ABSTRACTThis study presents a review from 39 studies that provide evidence for the structural validity and internal consistency of the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI). In addition to this review, we evaluate many alternative factor structures on a sample of 267 first- and second-year chemistry faculty members participating in a professional development, a sample of instructors for which the ATI was originally designed. A total of 26 unique factor structures were evaluated. Through robust checking of assumptions, compilations of existing evidence, and new exploratory and confirmatory analyses, we found that there is greater evidence for the structural validity and internal consistency for the 22-item ATI than the 16-item ATI. Additionally, evidence supporting the original two-factor and four-factor structures proposed by the ATI authors (focusing on information transmission and conceptual change) were not reproducible and while alternative models were empirically viable, more theoretical justification is warranted. Recommendations for ATI use and general comments regarding best practices of reporting psychometrics in educational research contexts are discussed.

Understanding Epistemological Development in First- and Second-Year Chemistry Students

Epistemological beliefs—a learner’s perspective about knowledge and the nature of learning—have been found to play a vital role in learning. Much research has been conducted, both in general and in specific fields, to explore epistemological development in college-aged students; however, little of that research has been done specifically in chemistry. Prior research has documented how chemistry-specific epistemological beliefs change as students progress through their study of chemistry. The current research, which uses a qualitative, longitudinal approach, expands upon this work and explores factors, both curricular and extracurricular, that influence the development of students’ epistemological beliefs about learning chemistry. This manuscript specifically focuses on development during students’ study of chemistry during their first and second years.

Teaching Research: A Curriculum Model That Works

An interdisciplinary, two-credit, one-semester laboratory course required of second-year chemistry and biochemistry majors at a small, rural, undergraduate liberal arts institution is described. During the first half of the course students are provided instruction in chemical information resources, scientific communication, advanced techniques, instrumentation, and computational methods in preparation for authentic scholarly research with a faculty mentor in the second half of the course. Research is then carried out in small groups over the course of seven weeks and results are presented in both oral and written form. Anecdotal and quantitative data demonstrating the course's success over its eight-year duration are presented.

Engaging Students in Early Exploration of Nanoscience Topics Using Hands-On Activities and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

This manuscript reports on efforts to introduce beginning college students to the modern nanoscience field. These include: implementing selected experiments into sequencing core first-year and second-year chemistry laboratory courses; providing students with a first research experience; and engaging them in service learning and outreach programs where they act as activity presenters. The various projects, emphasizing hands-on learning, have affected a large number of science and engineering students and also thousands of students in grades K–12. The program provides students with experiences working with nanomaterials and using scanning tunneling microscopy. By participating in these projects, students have increased their awareness and knowledge of different areas of nanoscience and improved their attitudes toward chemistry.

Photocatalytic Oxidation of Sulfurous Acid in an Aqueous Medium

The photooxidation process of sulfurous acid by molecular oxygen in the presence of TiO2 is described. The effect of some reaction parameters, such as initial concentration of sulfurous acid, oxygen, TiO2 crystalline structure, and quantity of TiO2, were investigated. The reactions were run in an inexpensive reactor. The experiments are ideal for second-year chemistry undergraduate students interested in photocatalysis and green chemistry. Finally, a kinetic equation for the oxidation process of sulfurous acid was established in our experimental conditions.

The Chemistry writing project at UCT: from teaching communication skills to writing as a tool for learning

This paper describes the application of action research in a project aimed at the development of the communicative skills of increasingly diverse second-year Chemistry students. A pilot study, which included portfolio assessment of the writing of a random sample of these students in three writing tasks, showed that the communicative problems experienced by students whose home language is not English were closely linked to their conceptual difficulties. Furthermore, the existing curriculum did not accommodate their specific learning needs. A programme of writing assignments in the second-year Chemistry curriculum was therefore designed expressly to promote deep learning by structuring the tasks around some of the fundamental concepts presented. Two writing tasks were mediated in workshops designed to illustrate relevant concepts, and issues arising from the first writing assignment informed the design of the second workshop. The writing project was incorporated as an integral part of the second year Chemistry curriculum. Feedback from students was used to inform and improve the design of future writing tasks and workshops. The focus was on writing as a tool for learning chemistry and the project was regarded as a step on the path to acquiring scientific literacy. Research revealed that the most significant factor in producing a good piece of writing was not language skills as such but an understanding of the material. Students who were able to engage with the concepts could write about them in a coherent manner. Poor understanding of the materials led to the production of reports, which were simply a collection of statements linked together. Thus students' writing can serve as an assessment tool to gauge their understanding of the material. The mainly positive perceptions of academics and students, despite the onerous nature of the writing tasks, indicated that they perceived the value of the exercise.

Identification of Flavor Components in Perfumes by Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

An experiment for identification of flavor components in Original Eau de Cologne by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with electron impact ionization was developed. A new SPME fiber with a dual coating of divinylbenzene and Carboxen, each suspended in polydimethylsiloxane, was used. The compounds were identified by search of the NIST 98 MS Library or by comparison with pure standards. The experiment was developed for second-year chemistry students to learn the principles of analytical instrumentation (GC-MS) and sample preparation techniques (HS-SPME). The students are able to complete this experiment in a single four-hour laboratory session.

An Integrated Curriculum for First- and Second-Year Chemistry Courses

The chemistry department at Illinois Wesleyan University is revising its freshman and sophomore sequence as outlined earlier in this Journal. Key features of this innovation are the integration of organic and inorganic chemical concepts throughout the first two years of the curriculum, the incorporation of modern instrumentation into lecture and laboratory beginning the first semester, and the matching of topic development to student ability throughout the two-year sequence.

Integrating analytical chemistry in the undergraduate curriculum

Examines the role of analytical chemistry in the freshman and second-year chemistry courses at the University of Arizona and includes lists of laboratory exercises and lecture topics.

Semimicro Qualitative Analysis

The purpose in presenting this discussion of semimicro qualitative analysis is threefold. First, a review of some of the experiences gained in using this method for the past three years at Ottawa University will be presented. Second, the results of a brief survey of the extent to which the semimicro method of qualitative analysis is being used in Kansas colleges and universites are to be given. And third, it is hoped that the presentation of this topic will result in a discussion and exchange of ideas among those interested in this method of analysis. That there is considerable interest in this modification of qualitative analysis is indicated, perhaps, by the response to the survey which was made. Nineteen of the twenty-one schools to which inquiries were directed responded to the survey. A comparison of the macro and semimicro methods of qualitative analysis has been given elsewhere (J. Chem. Educ., 9, 1636 [19321). It is sufficient to state here that the following are some of the advantages claimed for the semimicro method. It is less expensive, it requires greater care on the part of the student, it is more rapid, and unpleasant odors can be kept to a minimum impossible with the macro method. The semimicro method of qualitative analysis has been used at Ottawa University since 1937 in a four-semester hour course for second-year chemistry students. The first two years Engelder, Dunkelberger, and Schiller's textbook,1 Semimicro Qualitative Analysis was used. During the present school year the book, Semimicro Qualitative Analysis by Meldrum, Flosdorf, and Daggett2 was employed. A fairly accurate record of the cost of the semimicro course has been kept. In making purchases, equipment for twenty students was normally secured. For the first two years the cost per student for equipment and supplies not available from the usual chemistry storeroom and required exclusively for introducing the semimicro course was approximately $6.75. Part of the necessary equipment was homemade. Also, the course as originally introduced required a greater number of organic reagents than is used now. Concerning the results of student analyses, Smith3 has reported for a class in semimicro qualitative analysis that in 1,193 times cations were potentially present in the unknown samples issued, in 1,003 times it was correctly reported present or absent, as the case might be. Correct results were therefore reported 84 percent of the time. For the 1939-'40 class at Ottawa University this figure was found to be 89 percent for the cation analysis. It is well to recall in this connection that the unknowns for cation analysis consisted of 2.5 ml. samples, each containing from 3 to 5 mg. of the various individual ions.

Second-year chemistry for high-school students

Second-year chemistry for high-school students

A second-year chemistry course for colleges

A second-year chemistry course for colleges