This case was developed for use in the first semester of a sophomore organic chemistry laboratory to illustrate how a combination of techniques is usually required in the identification of chemical compounds. It involves a murder mystery with a forensic twist. Students are told that two bodies have recently been recovered from two different lakes. Due to a mix-up at the morgue, the coroner's office is unable to determine which body came from which lake. The students' task is to develop a methodology to solve this mystery as well as determine whether the deaths were the result of murder or mishap. The case could also be used in instrumental analysis courses or adapted for a non-majors course in the general education curriculum.

In this activity, students explore the effect of chemical erosion on statues and monuments. They use chalk to see what happens when limestone is placed in liquids with different pH values. They also learn several things that engineers are doing to reduce the effects of acid rain.

In this "clicker case," a three-year-old girl gets into the medicine cabinet and ingests an unknown number of aspirin tablets. Her brother calls 911 and the girl is taken to a nearby hospital, where she is treated. The case is used to discuss the Law of Mass Action, chemical equilibrium and equilibrium constants, pH, and weak acids and buffers in the context of medical management of a life-threatening emergency. It is called a "clicker" case because it is designed to be presented in a class that uses personal response systems, or "clickers." The case is presented via a series of PowerPoint slides (~400KB) punctuated by multiple-choice questions, which the students answer using their clickers. It could be adapted for use without these technologies. The case is suitable for use in an introductory biology course where integration with biologically relevant chemistry is an important course objective. It could also be used in a chemistry course.

Advanced experimentation, with particular emphasis on chemical synthesis and the fundamentals of quantum chemistry illustrated through molecular spectroscopy. Instruction and practice in the written and oral presentation of experimental results.

Advanced Inorganic Chemistry is designed to give you the knowledge to explain everyday phenomena of inorganic complexes. The student will study the various aspects of their physical and chemical properties and learn how to determine the practical applications that these complexes can have in industrial, analytical, and medicinal chemistry. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Explain symmetry and point group theory and demonstrate knowledge of the mathematical method by which aspects of molecular symmetry can be determined; Use molecular symmetry to predict or explain the chemical properties of a molecule, such as dipole moment and allowed spectroscopic transitions; Construct simple molecular orbital diagrams and obtain bonding information from them; Demonstrate an understanding of valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR), which is used for predicting the shapes of individual molecules; Explain spectroscopic information obtained from coordination complexes; Identify the chemical and physical properties of transition metals; Demonstrate an understanding of transition metal organometallics; Define the role of catalysts and explain how they affect the activation energy and reaction rate of a chemical reaction; Identify the mechanisms of both ligand substitution and redox processes in transition metal complexes; Discuss some current, real-world applications of transition metal complexes in the fields of medicinal chemistry, solar energy, electronic displays, and ion batteries. (Chemistry 202)

This seminar will be a scientific exploration of the food we eat and enjoy. Each week we shall have a scientific edible experiment that will explore a specific food topic. Topics include, but are not limited to, what makes a good experiment, cheese making, joys of tofu, food biochemistry, the science of spice, what is taste?

Organic chemistry is the discipline that studies the properties and reactions of organic, carbon-based compounds. The student will begin by studying a unit on ylides, benzyne, and free radicals. Many free radicals affect life processes. For example, oxygen-derived radicals may be overproduced in cells, such as white blood cells that try to defend against infection in a living organism. Afterward the student will move into a comprehensive examination of stereochemistry, as well as the kinetics of substitution and elimination reactions. The course wraps up with a survey of various hetereocyclic structures, including their MO theory, aromaticity, and reactivity. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Describe free radicals in terms of stability, kinetics, and bond dissociation energies; Describe the stereochemistry and orbitals involved in photochemical reactions; Describe enantiomers, diastereomers, pro-S and pro-R hydrogens, and Re/Si faces of carbonyls; Perform conformational analysis of alkanes and cyclohexanes; Describe reaction mechanisms in terms of variousparameters (i.e.,kinetics, Curtin-Hammet principle, Hammond postulate,etc.); Describe the chemistry of the heterocycles listed in Unit3 in terms of molecular orbital theory, aromaticity, and reactions. (Chemistry 201)

Application of structure and theory to the study of organic reaction mechanisms: stereochemical features including conformation and stereoelectronic effects; reaction dynamics, isotope effects and molecular orbital theory applied to pericyclic and photochemical reactions; and special reactive intermediates including carbenes, carbanions, and free radicals.

12.491 is a seminar focusing on problems of current interest in geology and geochemistry. For Fall 2005, the topic is organic geochemistry. Lectures and readings cover recent research in the development and properties of organic matter.

Playfully alluding to Lewis Carroll's tale of Alice Through the Looking Glass, this case study considers the problems that would arise if a person were to cross over into a mirror-image environment. Students read about a drowsy undergraduate studying for a stereochemistry exam who finds herself in a place where spearmint gum tastes like caraway seed. The case emphasizes the lock-and-key theory of enzyme action and stresses the need for molecules to have the proper chirality if they are to be biologically useful. Designed for introductory organic chemistry and biochemistry courses, the case could also be used in biology courses.

Students experiment with a new material—aerogel. Aerogel is a synthetic (human-made) porous ultra-light (low-density) material, in which the liquid component of a gel is replaced with a gas. In this activity, student pairs use aerogel to simulate the environmental engineering application of cleaning up oil spills. In a simple and fun way, this activity incorporates density calculations, the material effects of surface area, and hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties.

This is a series of activities demonstrating that air has mass, takes up space, and can exert a force on objects enough to lift them.

This is a series of investigations about air and its properties. How air exists all around us, and things it is capable of doing.

This is an inquiry activity that relies of pervious understanding of balancing and weighing to introduce a properties of air.

When chronic pain forces a top student to withdraw from college, biology instructor Dr. Sharpe learns that medications (in this case, Vioxx) may be removed from the market for many reasons, including safety concerns. As the case unfolds, students learn how the FDA balances drug safety against medical needs. As written, the case is appropriate for a non-majors biology course. It could also be adapted for use in a more advanced course in cell biology, pharmacology, or biochemistry, or modified to explore statistical analysis, specific analytical methods used for risk/benefit analysis, or bioethical issues.

This class analyzes complex biological processes from the molecular, cellular, extracellular, and organ levels of hierarchy. Emphasis is placed on the basic biochemical and biophysical principles that govern these processes. Examples of processes to be studied include chemotaxis, the fixation of nitrogen into organic biological molecules, growth factor and hormone mediated signaling cascades, and signaling cascades leading to cell death in response to DNA damage. In each case, the availability of a resource, or the presence of a stimulus, results in some biochemical pathways being turned on while others are turned off. The course examines the dynamic aspects of these processes and details how biochemical mechanistic themes impinge on molecular/cellular/tissue/organ-level functions. Chemical and quantitative views of the interplay of multiple pathways as biological networks are emphasized. Student work will culminate in the preparation of a unique grant application in an area of biological networks.

Analytical chemistry is the branch of chemistry dealing with measurement, both qualitative and quantitative. This discipline is also concerned with the chemical composition of samples. In the field, analytical chemistry is applied when detecting the presence and determining the quantities of chemical compounds, such as lead in water samples or arsenic in tissue samples. It also encompasses many different spectrochemical techniques, all of which are used under various experimental conditions. This branch of chemistry teaches the general theories behind the use of each instrument as well analysis of experimental data. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Demonstrate a mastery of various methods of expressing concentration; Use a linear calibration curve to calculate concentration; Describe the various spectrochemical techniques as described within the course; Use sample data obtained from spectrochemical techniques to calculate unknown concentrations or obtain structural information where applicable; Describe the various chromatographies described within this course and analyze a given chromatogram; Demonstrate an understanding of electrochemistry and the methods used to study the response of an electrolyte through current of potential. (Chemistry 108)

Analytical chemistry spans nearly all areas of chemistry but involves the development of tools and methods to measure physical properties of substances and apply those techniques to the identification of their presence (qualitative analysis) and quantify the amount present (quantitative analysis) of species in a wide variety of settings.

Analytical chemistry is more than a collection of analytical methods and an understanding of equilibrium chemistry; it is an approach to solving chemical problems. Although equilibrium chemistry and analytical methods are important, their coverage should not come at the expense of other equally important topics. The introductory course in analytical chemistry is the ideal place in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum for exploring topics such as experimental design, sampling, calibration strategies, standardization, optimization, statistics, and the validation of experimental results. Analytical methods come and go, but best practices for designing and validating analytical methods are universal. Because chemistry is an experimental science it is essential that all chemistry students understand the importance of making good measurements.