Google Docs for Summer Research

Submitted by Hilary Eppley / DePauw University on Thu, 06/10/2010 - 08:51
Description

I am using Google Docs in my research lab for a variety of purposes, and I thought it might be helpful to share how I am using them. Google docs allows simulataneous editing by multiple people, and everyone needs a Google ID to do that.   My research group and I are using one document to write up research results in paper format, one document to keep track of weekly goals, one document for general instrumentation and experimental technique trouble-shooting, and one to keep track of any work that occurs after hours when I am not around.   

Battery in class activity

Submitted by Sheila Smith / University of Michigan- Dearborn on Wed, 05/26/2010 - 13:10
Description

This is an in-class exercise to be used at the end of General Chemistry (II).  I use it as a capstone exercise at the end of my second semester genchem course, but it would also make an excellent introductory review exercise at the beginning of a junior level inorganic course.  It provides an excellent review of topics from the entire semester (electrochemistry, acid-base, thermodynamics, colligative properties, solution chemistry and calculations) and shows how they are inter-related in a real world application (a car battery).

ACS Meeting Content- Slides and Audio

Submitted by Margaret Scheuermann / Western Washington University on Sat, 05/15/2010 - 23:08
Description

The ACS has posted slides and audio for selected talks from recent national meetings. Students have the opportunity to listen to talks by research leaders whose work may relate to a topic discussed in class or to an undergraduate research project. This will also be a great resource for students who are gathering information about potential graduate research groups.

Introduction to the Synthesis and Properties of Nanoparticles

Submitted by Brian Johnson / St. John's University/College of St. Benedict on Fri, 04/30/2010 - 09:59
Description

This activity leads students through the synthesis of compound nanoparticles and examines how key physical properties such as band gap vary with particle size.  Prior to doing this, students should have some exposure to the structure of solids, band theory, and band gap as a periodic property (see, for example, Lisensky, et al. J Chem.

The Chemmies: A Descriptive Chemistry Audio/Video Research Project

Submitted by Neal Yakelis / Pacific Lutheran University on Mon, 03/29/2010 - 01:31
Description

This project was initiated as a way to enhance the descriptive inorganic chemistry unit presented in our General Chemistry II curriculum.  As the time available in the term prohibited the amount of lecture time needed to cover this vast array of material, the idea of a research project allowed for students to investigate an inorganic chemistry topic of keen interest to them over the course of the semester.  A previous term's attempt using a research paper project was quite unpopular, so the idea of a multimedia presentation was devised as an alternative to achieve similar learning goals.  S

The Berry Pseudorotation in PF5

Submitted by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College on Sat, 03/20/2010 - 00:37
Description

This activity makes use of Jmol animations created by Prof. Marion Cass at Carleton College to illustrate the Berry Pseudorotation in trigonal bipyramidal molecules such as PF5.  Students explore the animations and answer a series of questions that lead to a description of this intramolecular motion that exchanges equatorial and axial atoms in trigonal bipyramidal molecules.  

Link to Jmol animations of Berry Pseudorotation

Periodic Table of Haiku

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 16:45
Description

This is a great website that was forwarded to me by a friend.  Broaden students' scientific communication skills by condensing the descriptive chemistry of an element down to a haiku.

Video explanations and practice problems of basic chemistry and math topics

Submitted by Lori Watson / Earlham College on Wed, 02/24/2010 - 15:34
Description

This is a website which links to a wide variety of good quality YouTube mini-lectures on basic topics in chemistry, mathematics, physics and a variety of other sciences.  Each video is about 10 minutes long and many go through example problems slowly and completely.  

Pyrophoric Liquid Safety Video

Submitted by Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College on Wed, 01/13/2010 - 14:18
Description

This website is a video put out by UCLA and is a good general introduction to using pyrophorics.  It would be good for required viewing for ALL researchers who intend to use Grignards, alkyl metals, organometallics, LiH, etc.

Updated June 2015 to provide a new link; the old link no longer worked.

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