Undergraduate Laboratory Project Research Articles

Isolation of Fidaxomicin and Shunt Metabolites from Actinoplanes deccanensis

AbstractA protocol for the isolation of the antibiotic fidaxomicin (Fdx) from Actinoplanes deccanensis and the isolation of shunt metabolites from A. deccanensis fdxG2− is reported. We constructed the mutant strain A. deccanensis fdxG2− by genetic manipulation which enabled the isolation of shunt metabolites as useful starting points for semisynthetic analogues of Fdx. Furthermore, a synthetic protocol for the conversion of complex A. deccanensis fdxG2− extracts into the single compound FdxG2‐OH via methanolysis is presented. This synthetic procedure is complemented by images and practical notes. Full structure assignment is given in the SI and the characterization data files are published to aid experimentalists. The protocol is also suitable as an undergraduate laboratory project. We hope to facilitate research into new Fdx derivatives through the availability of this procedure.

A low-cost confocal microscope for the undergraduate lab

We demonstrate a simple and cost-efficient scanning confocal microscope setup for use in advanced instructional physics laboratories. The setup is constructed from readily available commercial products, and the implementation of a 3D-printed flexure stage allows for further cost reduction and pedagogical opportunity. Experiments exploring the thickness of a microscope slide and the surface of solid objects with height variation are presented as foundational components of undergraduate laboratory projects and demonstrate the capabilities of a confocal microscope. This system allows observation of key components of a confocal microscope, including depth perception and data acquisition via transverse scanning, making it an excellent pedagogical resource.

Undergraduate Laboratory Project Comparing Two Analytical Techniques for Ascorbic Acid Determination

Undergraduate Laboratory Project Comparing Two Analytical Techniques for Ascorbic Acid Determination

Adsorption of cadmium using teak leaves powder (Tectona grandis sp.): embedding Mahaffy’s tetrahedral concept in undergraduate chemical engineering capstone lab project

Chemical engineering education can be aptly structured on four central components: macroscopic, particulate, symbolic, and human element domains; known as the Mahaffy’s tetrahedral concept. This paper discusses the application of the concept of undergraduate chemical engineering capstone projects. The capstone was carried out as an undergraduate final laboratory project to investigate the adsorption of heavy metal, namely cadmium (Cd), using powder of teak leaves (Tectona grandis sp.). The lab experiment was environmentally safe, completed at ambient temperatures and that the experimental data collection was easy. It was actively guided by lecturers in a way to encourage meaningful lab experience as proposed in the Mahaffy’s tetrahedral idea. Three experimental variables were investigated: initial pH solution, adsorbent dosage, and initial concentration of Cd. The results were analyzed to determine the diffusion mechanism and kinetics through Weber-and-Morris intra-particle diffusion model. The experimental results agreed with most published literature which gave satisfaction on both students and lecturers. To assess learning outcomes, pre- and post-evaluations in regard the Mahaffy’s tetrahedral idea was employed. The post-test scores were significantly higher than those of the pre-test indicating that the learning outcomes were achieved. The lab project was also found to increase the student’s writing and presentation skills.

Crystal structure determination as part of an ongoing undergraduate organic laboratory project: 5-[(E)-styr-yl]-1,3,4-oxa-thia-zol-2-one.

The title compound, C10H7NO2S, provides the first structure of an α-alkenyl oxa-thia-zolone ring. The phenyl ring and the oxa-thia-zolone groups make dihedral angles of 0.3 (3) and -2.8 (3)°, respectively, with the plane of the central alkene group; the dihedral angle between the rings is 2.68 (8)°. A careful consideration of bond lengths provides insight into the electronic structure and reactivity of the title compound. In the crystal, extended π-stacking is observed parallel to the a-axis direction, consisting of cofacial head-to-tail dimeric units [centroid-centroid distance of 3.6191 (11) Å]. These dimeric units are separated by a slightly longer centroid-centroid distance of 3.8383 (12) Å, generating infinite stacks of mol-ecules.

Protein analysis using real‐time PCR instrumentation: Incorporation in an integrated, inquiry‐based project

Instrumentation for real-time PCR is used primarily for amplification and quantitation of nucleic acids. The capability to measure fluorescence while controlling temperature in multiple samples can also be applied to the analysis of proteins. Conformational stability and changes in stability due to ligand binding are easily assessed. Protein structure studies possible with a real-time PCR instrument address core topics in biochemistry and have valuable high-throughput applications in the fields of drug discovery and protein engineering. Protein analysis using real-time PCR instrumentation has been incorporated in an undergraduate laboratory project based on previously described projects. Students express, purify, and characterize a protein. Based on literature research and analysis using bioinformatics tools, they select a specific mutation to investigate. They then attempt to express, purify, and characterize their mutated protein. Thermal denaturation using a real-time PCR instrument is the primary tool used to compare the wild-type and mutated proteins. Alternative means for incorporation of protein analysis by real-time PCR instrumentation into laboratory experiences and additional modes of analysis are also described.

Fizeau’s “aether-drag” experiment in the undergraduate laboratory

We describe a simple realization of Fizeau’s “aether-drag” experiment. Using an inexpensive setup, we measure the phase shift induced by moving water in a laser interferometer and find good agreement with the relativistic prediction or, in the terms of 19th century physics, with Fresnel’s partial-drag theory. This appealing experiment, particularly suited for an undergraduate laboratory project, not only allows a quantitative measurement of a relativistic effect on a macroscopic system but also constitutes a practical application of important concepts of optics, data acquisition and processing, and fluid mechanics.

A Research-Based Undergraduate Organic Laboratory Project: Investigation of a One-Pot, Multicomponent, Environmentally Friendly Prins–Friedel–Crafts-Type Reaction

Students in the undergraduate organic laboratory synthesize tetrahydro-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-4-phenyl-2H-pyran via the Montmorillonite K10 clay-catalyzed reaction of p-nitrobenzaldehye with methanol, 3-buten-1-ol, and benzene. The synthesis comprises an environmentally friendly tandem Prins-Friedel-Crafts-type multicomponent reaction (MCR) and sets the stage for investigation of reaction scope through student research projects with other carbonyl substrates.

How Do Structure and Charge Affect Metal-Complex Binding to DNA? An Upper-Division Integrated Laboratory Project Using Cyclic Voltammetry

An advanced undergraduate laboratory project is described that integrates inorganic, analytical, physical, and biochemical techniques to reveal differences in binding between cationic metal complexes and anionic DNA (herring testes). Students were guided to formulate testable hypotheses based on the title question and a list of different metal complexes. Student teams synthesized the target complexes, such as tris(1,10-phenanthroline)cobalt(III) or tris(2,2′-bipyrydyl)cobalt(III), and characterized them by voltammetry and spectroscopy. Separately, DNA stock solutions were prepared and analyzed via published spectroscopic methods. Aliquots of the DNA solutions, added into a metal-complex solution, gave decreases in the cyclic voltammetry peak currents due to the slower diffusion rate of the DNA−metal complex. A nonlinear curve fit analysis of the 1:1 binding isotherms confirmed the literature result (unknown to students) of larger binding constants for the phenanthroline complex due to intercalative bindin...

Quantitative Determination of DNA–Ligand Binding: Improved Data Analysis

Eamonn Healy recently published in this Journal a fine undergraduate biochemistry laboratory project on the binding of the fluorescent ligand DAPI (4´,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) to DNA. For the benefit of faculty who plan to adopt this unique project, I would like to make a few suggestions to improve the data analysis.

Replications of Critical Technological Processes and the Use of Replicates as Characterization Standards: An Experiment in Undergraduate Education

AbstractThe technology of artifacts is analyzed and reconstructed by comparison with known craft practices, the physical and chemical constraints imposed by the raw materials, and the sequence and steps for processing those materials to achieve certain optical and mechanical properties. Understanding of craft knowledge is best pursued by practice, coupled with technical analysis. Six case studies of hands-on, undergraduate student laboratory projects are presented. The studies include testing parameters for the making of stenciled hand images similar to those at caves such as Gargas from the Upper Paleolithic period in France, the variation in processing required to produce Egyptian blue pigments and objects, controlling composition to form either green or turquoise-blue colors in Islamic lead-containing glazes, optimizing the ratio of various pigments to gum Arabic medium in tomb paintings to evaluate the application and durability, molding East Asian gokok beads in imitation of jade, and making and radiographing a mock-up of a damaged statue on the facade at the San Xavier Mission as a standard for comparison with the original. In each case, various parameters are varied to model the appearance, structure and composition of an object, and the students benefited from the experience of developing research questions and from their involvement in original research projects.

Synthesis and Cytotoxic Properties of Chalcones: An Interactive and Investigative Undergraduate Laboratory Project at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology

A highly integrated laboratory project that emphasizes techniques of chemistry and biology is described. Laboratory exercises of this nature are becoming increasingly important as interdisciplinary...

An Interesting Final-Year Undergraduate Laboratory Project: Investigation of Gypsum Scale Formation on Piping Surfaces

The formation of scales in pipes and on the surfaces of vessels is one of the major problems encountered by the mineral processing industry in Australia and elsewhere. A cursory study revealed that one of the main components of the scales was gypsum or calcium sulfate dihydrate. This paper discusses a typical undergraduate laboratory project to investigate the formation of calcium sulfate dihydrate scale on the surfaces of different types of pipes under isothermal conditions. This laboratory exercise is essentially a crystallization process and is suggested as one of the topics for final-year chemical engineering undergraduate project since it is a very important unit operation in the chemical, mineral, or pharmaceutical industries. Keywords: Calcium sulfate dihydrate, laboratory project, scale formation, and undergraduate curriculum..

Syntheses of Phencyclone Analogues. Applications for NMR Studies of Hindered Rotations and Magnetic Anisotropy in Crowded Diels?Alder Adducts

Undergraduate organic chemistry special laboratory projects based upon the synthesis of phencyclone, 1 (a potent Diels-Alder diene), and the preparation of a series of highly hindered Diels-Alder adducts of the phencyclone, were described earlier. Details of the synthesis of an analogue of 1 are presented here as an extension of these projects. The analogue, 3,6-dibromophencyclone, 2, and adducts from a wide range of dienophiles, can be prepared by undergraduate organic chemistry students. These adducts (from 1 or 2) are eminently suitable for student characterization by NMR to examine aspects of hindered rotation, magnetic anisotropy, and dynamic NMR spectroscopy, using modern one- and two-dimensional multinuclear methods with a medium-field instrument (7 T), to observe 1H, 13C, and 19F. Use of 2 effectively doubles the range of potential target compounds for students. The Diels-Alder adducts (and their precursors) have been studied by molecular modeling methods. This present paper describes the reaction of 2 with 4, the dienophile N-(4-dimethylamino-3,5-dinitrophenyl)maleimide (“Tuppy’s maleimide”), to form the adduct 5. Compound 5 has been well-characterized by 1D and 2D 1H and 13C NMR, and is illustrative of the wide range of adducts that can be made from 2 by students. The structure of 5, as determined by geometry optimization at the semiempirical (AM-1) level, is included here.

The Synthesis and Analysis of Ammine Complexes of Copper and Silver Sulfate: An Undergraduate Laboratory Project

An undergraduate chemistry laboratory project involving the synthesis of [Ag(NH3)2]2SO4 and Cu(NH3)4SO4 from the simple sulfate salts is described. Characterization of the stoichiometry of the complexes is accomplished by gravimetric and volumetric analysis. Silver is precipitated as the chloride and copper is precipitated as the hydroxide and converted to the oxide before weighing. The ammonia content of each complex is determined with a back titration using dilute nitric acid and sodium hydroxide. Typical student work gives results for the stoichiometry of the complexes within 1-5% of the theoretical values. The project provides a convenient preparation of two compounds whose identity and formula will not be obvious to the student. The analytical procedures illustrate the fundamentals of gravimetric and volumetric analysis and some basic characteristics of simple coordination complexes. The analytical data allow the student to determine the identity of each product by determining its empirical formula.

Photorefractive nonlinear optics in the undergraduate physics laboratory

The field of nonlinear optics has grown significantly within the last two decades. Photorefractive materials in particular have been utilized in a wide variety of applications. Recently, the photorefractive inorganic crystals used to demonstrate nonlinear optical phenomena and applications have begun to decrease significantly in cost, bringing them within the budgetary limits of smaller physics departments. In addition, within the last five years photorefractive organic polymers have been developed which could serve as the focus of interesting interdisciplinary activities between undergraduate physics and chemistry programs. This article provides a starting point for educators in such programs who have an interest in developing undergraduate laboratory projects based on photorefractive materials. We present some background on the physics of photorefractive phenomena and materials, brief descriptions of some of the demonstrations and applications that employ these materials, and original references on these applications.

A survey of final-year undergraduate laboratory projects in biochemistry and related degrees in Great Britain

A survey of final-year undergraduate laboratory projects in biochemistry and related degrees in Great Britain

Stabilization of a multimode He–Ne laser: A vivid demonstration of thermal feedback

A thermal stabilization technique for multimode He–Ne laser tubes is demonstrated. Intensity stability of ∼1% is achieved, where the intensity of the unstabilized laser varied by more than a factor of 5. The system provides both a dramatic demonstration of the principle of negative feedback and a stimulating introduction to basic electronics, laser physics, and solid state physics. It is simple enough to be constructed as an undergraduate laboratory project.

An Undergraduate Laboratory Project for Greenhouse Management and Related Courses in Plant Sciences

The Dept. of Horticulture at Virginia Tech, as do many others at other land-grant institutions, offers a course entitled Greenhouse Management (GM). It has a four-semestercredit lecture/laboratory format dealing primarily with greenhouse management principles. Until recently, horticulture majors were required to take GM as sophomores; a few juniors and seniors enrolled, as did an occasional nonhorticulture major. Lecture material was originally structured to illustrate successful plant growth criteria in controlled conditions, in addition to discussing growth manipulation methods. It was necessary to design a laboratory whereby each student observed the immediate and longterm effects of greenhouse environment manipulation. Since emphasis was on individual student involvement, field trips were not arranged because less-motivated students generally fall into the background and become passive. Second, Blacksburg is located far from the centers of greenhouse commodity production and would require travel exceeding the usual laboratory time available. Therefore, the laboratory project described herein was developed in response to these situations and has been used and revised for more than 6 years. The course is team-taught, with one instructor teaching the laboratory, which comprises 25% of the student’s final grade, and another full-time faculty member handling lectures. Laboratory and lecture are taken concurrently. Each student works independently and is required to purchase only two materials., to complete the term-long project–a clear plastic metric ruler and a computer diskette.

Preparation, analysis, and reactivity of bis[N,N-bis(trimethylsilyl)amino]tin(II): An advanced undergraduate laboratory project in organometallic synthesis

As a part of the authors continuing series on advanced undergraduate laboratory projects involving synthesis and multimuclear NMR spectroscopy, they offer a project that explores the preparation and analysis of tin(II) amine.