Experiments for Modern Introductory Chemistry: Intermolecular Forces and Raoult's Law

Intermolecular π–π Stacking Interactions Made Visible

“…To teach students about noncovalent (intermolecular) interactions, there is ample material available in the form of books and (review) articles. − There are several articles aimed specifically at teaching intermolecular interactions using conceptual (and computational) teaching methods. − There are also many articles describing experiments based on physical properties such as vapor pressure, polarity, boiling point, phase behavior, and salting properties. − One article was found describing the solvent dependent luminescence of 3-hydroxyflavone (at −196 °C) based on intra- versus intermolecular hydrogen bonding, and one paper describes an experiment based on protein–protein binding . While very insightful, the experiments cited are relatively difficult and expensive to set up, and their execution can be too lengthy for the purposes of a simple demonstration.…”

Introducing Scientific Reasoning with the Penny Lab

“…In an effort to allow students to experience some aspects of science typically not emphasized in verification labs, the discovery or guided inquiry approach has received much attention (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). The discovery approach, in very general terms, begins with a question that is posed to the students, and the students are responsible for formulating and experimentally testing hypotheses.…”

Implementation of an Accessible Gas Chromatography Laboratory Experiment for High School Students

“…GC analysis does not depend on advanced knowledge of bonding or structure, and the quantitative analysis used with GC data is similar to the methods employed by professional chemists. In our implementation of the GC experiment, we avoid hazardous chemicals, expensive instruments, and complex data analysis in previously published experiments for college-level courses. − Our experiment uses air-fed Vernier Mini GC Plus instruments, which are small, relatively inexpensive (ca. $2000), and portable (see Supporting Information for specifications). , These simple GC instruments have detectors that cannot accommodate water or amines and are restricted to compounds with boiling points lower than 200 °C at atmospheric pressure .…”