Making Connections
The June 2018 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: investigating nanoscopic structures, innovative curriculum, inquiry-based investigations, using games to teach, outreach on climate change and research ethics, instrumental analysis, organic chemistry laboratory experiments, scientific data analysis, chemical education research, from the archives: food dyes.
Cover: Investigating Nanoscopic Structures
Some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring insects are blue Morpho butterflies. In Investigating Nanoscopic Structures on a Butterfly Wing To Explore Solvation and Coloration, Brittany A. Bober, Jennifer K. Ogata, Veronica E. Martinez, Janae J. Hallinan, Taylor A. Leach, and Bogdan Negru present a laboratory experiment that introduces general chemistry students to material science and nanotechnology with the use of iridescent Morpho butterfly wings. The nanoscopic structures make the wings superhydrophobic and also form a photonic crystal responsible for the structural coloration of these butterflies. Students performing the experiment alter both the color and superhydrophobicity of the wings of a preserved specimen, as shown by the image of a Morpho butterfly. The background image is a scanning electron micrograph of silver-coated wings that reveals the nanoscopic ridges of butterfly scales responsible for superhydrophobicity and structural coloration. This captivating and memorable experiment for students reinforces their understanding of the properties of light and solvation.
For another experiment on nanotechnology in this issue, see: Reduced Graphene Oxide Joins Graphene Oxide To Teach Undergraduate Students Core Chemistry and Nanotechnology Concepts ~ Izabela Kondratowicz, Małgorzata Nadolska, and Kamila Żelechowska
Editorial: Citations in Submissions
In the June Editorial, Norbert Pienta discusses citations as an important component for scholarly publication in Keeping It Scholarly: Citations in Submissions.
Innovative Curriculum
A Single Reaction Thread Ties Multiple Core Concepts in an Introductory Chemistry Course ~ Meredith H. Barbee, Robert G. Carden, Julia H. R. Johnson, Cameron L. Brown, Dorian A. Canelas, and Stephen L. Craig
Developing Awareness of Professional Behaviors and Skills in the First-Year Chemistry Laboratory ~ Scott Chadwick, Mackenzie de la Hunty, and Anthony Baker
Inquiry-Based Investigations
Solubility from the Femtoscale to the Macroscale ~ David W. Pollock, Giovanna T. Truong, Jessica L. Bonjour, and John A. Frost
Unexpected Discovery: A Guided-Inquiry Experiment on the Reaction Kinetics of Zinc with Sulfuric Acid ~ Martin Rusek, Pavel Beneš, and John Carroll
Using Games To Teach
Prediction! The VSEPR Game: Using Cards and Molecular Model Building To Actively Enhance Students’ Understanding of Molecular Geometry ~ Erlina, Chris Cane, and Dylan P. Williams
Escape Classroom: The Leblanc Process—An Educational “Escape Game” ~ Nicolas Dietrich
Outreach on Climate Change and Research Ethics
Expanding the Educational Toolset for Chemistry Outreach: Providing a Chemical View of Climate Change through Hands-On Activities and Demonstrations Supplemented with TED-Ed Videos ~ Solaire A. Finkenstaedt-Quinn, Natalie V. Hudson-Smith, Matthew J. Styles, Michael K. Maudal, Adam R. Juelfs, and Christy L. Haynes
Interactive Poster Survey Study of ACS Members’ Knowledge and Needs on Research Ethics ~ Patricia Ann Mabrouk and Susan M. Schelble
Instrumental Analysis
Determining the Deacetylation Degree of Chitosan: Opportunities To Learn Instrumental Techniques ~ Leyre Pérez-Álvarez, Leire Ruiz-Rubio, and Jose Luis Vilas-Vilela
Surveying Iodine Nutrition Using Kinetic Spectrophotometry: An Integrative Laboratory Experiment in Analytical Chemistry for Population Health ~ Adriana Nori de Macedo, Stellena Mathiaparanam, Ritchie Ly, and Philip Britz-McKibbin
Teaching Undergraduates LC–MS/MS Theory and Operation via Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) Method Development ~ Thomas A. Betts and Julie A. Palkendo
Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiments
Isobutylene Dimerization: A Discovery-Based Exploration of Mechanism and Regioselectivity by NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Modeling ~ Mariah L. Schuster, Karl P. Peterson, and Stacey A. Stoffregen
Probing the Reactivity of Cyclic N,O-Acetals versus Cyclic O,O-Acetals with NaBH4 and CH3MgI ~ James A. Ciaccio, Shahrokh Saba, Samantha M. Bruno, John H. Bruppacher, and Alexa G. McKnight
Room-Temperature C–H Functionalization Sequence under Benchtop Conditions for the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory ~ Shuming Chen
A 31P{1H} NMR Spectroscopic Study of Phosphorus-Donor Ligands and Their Transition Metal Complexes ~ Ethan C. Cagle, Timothy R. Totsch, Mitzy A. Erdmann, and Gary M. Gray
Continuous Flow Science in an Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory: Bleach-Mediated Oxidation in a Biphasic System ~ Vanessa Kairouz and Shawn K. Collins
Continuous Flow Science in an Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory: Photocatalytic Thiol–Ene Reaction Using Visible Light ~ Jeffrey Santandrea, Vanessa Kairouz, and Shawn K. Collins
Empowering Students To Design and Evaluate Synthesis Procedures: A Sonogashira Coupling Project for Advanced Teaching Lab ~ Jun-Yang Ong, Shang-Ce Chan, and Truong-Giang Hoang
Scientific Data Analysis
Least-Squares Analysis of Data with Uncertainty in y and x: Algorithms in Excel and KaleidaGraph ~ Joel Tellinghuisen
Revisiting the Scale-Invariant, Two-Dimensional Linear Regression Method ~ A. Beate C. Patzer, Hans Bauer, Christian Chang, Jan Bolte, and Detlev Sülzle
Scientific Data Analysis Toolkit: A Versatile Add-in to Microsoft Excel for Windows ~ Arthur M. Halpern, Stephen L. Frye, and Charles J. Marzzacco
Chemical Education Research: Course Selection Factors, Acid-Base Topics for Teaching Nursing, and Primary Research in the Teaching Lab
Investigation of the Factors That Influence Undergraduate Student Chemistry Course Selection ~ Elsa M. Hinds and Ginger V. Shultz
Identifying Relevant Acid–Base Topics in the Context of a Prenursing Chemistry Course To Better Align Health-Related Instruction and Assessment ~ Corina E. Brown, Melissa L. M. Henry, and Richard M. Hyslop
Integrating Primary Research into the Teaching Lab: Benefits and Impacts of a One-Semester CURE for Physical Chemistry ~ Leah C. Williams and Michael J. Reddish
Additional Teaching Resources
The InChI Code ~ Paul J. Karol
Mobile Augmented Reality Assisted Chemical Education: Insights from Elements 4D ~ Shuxia Yang, Bing Mei, and Xiaoyu Yue
From the Archives: Food Dyes
This issue includes the article Cross Channel Thread-Based Microfluidic Device for Separation of Food Dyes by Chunxiu Xu, Danli Jiang, Jiayi Lin, and Longfei Cai. Food dyes have been explored in numerous ways in JCE over the years including:
A New Glow on the Chromatography of M&M Candies ~ Kurt R. Birdwhistell and Thomas G. Spence
The Quantitative Determination of Food Dyes in Powdered Drink Mixes. A High School or General Science Experiment ~ Samuella B. Sigmann and Dale E. Wheeler
Using Visible Absorption To Analyze Solutions of Kool-Aid and Candy ~ Karen E. Stevens
Candies to Dye for: Cooperative, Open-Ended Student Activities to Promote Understanding of Electrophoretic Fractionation ~ Robert D. Curtright, Randall Emry, Jonathan Wright, and John Markwell
Chemistry in the Dyeing of Eggs ~ Robert C. Mebane and Thomas R. Rybolt
Engaging Students in Real-World Chemistry through Synthesis and Confirmation of Azo Dyes via Thin Layer Chromatography To Determine the Dyes Present in Everyday Foods and Beverages ~ Kristi Tami, Anastasia Popova, and Gloria Proni
Variations on the “Blue-Bottle” Demonstration Using Food Items That Contain FD&C Blue #1 ~ Felicia A. Staiger, Joshua P. Peterson, and Dean J. Campbell
Oxone/Fe2+ Degradation of Food Dyes: Demonstration of Catalyst-Like Behavior and Kinetic Separation of Color ~ Ruth E. Nalliah
A Global Perspective on the History, Use, and Identification of Synthetic Food Dyes ~ Vinita Sharma, Harold T. McKone, and Peter G. Markow
Investigations of Dyes at ChemEdX:
Chemical Investigations of McCormick's Color From Nature Food Colors. Part 1: Sky Blue ~ Tom Kuntzleman
Investigations of Chemicals in Natural Food Coloring. Part 2: Berry ~ Tom Kuntzleman
Investigations of Chemicals in Natural Food Coloring. Part 3: Sunflower ~ Tom Kuntzleman
Kool-aid, Cotton, and Intermolecular Forces ~ Tom Kuntzleman
Make Connections with the Journal of Chemical Education
With 95 volumes of the Journal of Chemical Education to examine, you will always find a way to make a connection, such as exploring the articles mentioned above, and many more, in the Journal of Chemical Education. Articles that are edited and published online ahead of print (ASAP—As Soon As Publishable) are also available.
Do you have something to share? Write it up for the Journal! For some advice on becoming an author, it’s always very helpful to read Erica Jacobsen’s Commentary. In addition, numerous author resources are available on JCE’s ACS Web site, including recently updated: Author Guidelines and Document Templates.