Journal of Chemical Education最新文献

{"title":"Using Exam Preparation and Reflection to Introduce Artificial Intelligence Tools in Honors General Chemistry","authors":"Morgan A. Vincent,&nbsp; and ,&nbsp;Benjamin J. Lear*,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00618","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00618","url":null,"abstract":"<p >We report an intervention, performed during the Fall of 2024, in which a large language model artificial intelligence chatbot was introduced as a tool for pre-exam study and postexam reflection within an honors general chemistry course (CHEM 110H) at Penn State University. Through a combination of a structured 75 min instructional session and scaffolded pre- and postexam AI-based assignments, students engaged with AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini intended to support content review and metacognitive development. Pre- and postcourse surveys revealed significant increases in students’ frequency of AI use, academic confidence in using AI, and perceived utility of AI, alongside reductions in anxiety regarding ethics of its use in academics. Survey data also showed a shift toward more positive and cohesive student perceptions of AI, suggesting that reflective, ethically framed AI integration can promote autonomous, meaningful engagement with new technologies without compromising academic performance. These findings highlight the value of intentional AI training in STEM education and underscore the need for continued study across diverse educational contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4470–4478"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supporting Chemistry Graduate Students’ Academic Writing Practice through a Professional Development Course","authors":"Daisy B. Haas*,&nbsp; and ,&nbsp;Julie S. Biteen,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00605","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00605","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Writing is important for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduate students to achieve milestones within their programs and for their future career aspirations. However, although STEM graduate students engage in a variety of academic writing activities in their time as doctoral students, writing development has not always been a focus of STEM higher education programs. We designed and implemented a 10-week, one-credit professional development course to support the academic reading and writing practices of first-year chemistry graduate students at a large R1 institution. Students end the course having completed a short independent research proposal and having received structured feedback from the department community. The course scaffolds the students’ writing, integrates collaborative activities such as peer review, and explores social connections as a salient component of not only writing practice but also the graduate school experience. We iteratively designed, implemented, and evaluated the professional development course. Here, we describe the teaching approaches and course contents used to support students’ chemistry writing process. This course may guide the creation of professional development courses to support chemistry graduate students’ writing development at other PhD-granting institutions, and it may be adapted to support academic writing across STEM disciplines.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4461–4469"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of a Level-Based Test for Assessment of Student Conceptual Understanding in Learning Combustion","authors":"Yi Zou*,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Jiaoqing Deng,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Xinyu Xue*,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Fangrui Jiao,&nbsp;, and ,&nbsp;Wentao He,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00399","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00399","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Improving students’ conceptual understanding is a fundamental objective of science education, which requires a deep exploration into the development process of students’ understanding in learning a specific scientific concept. This study aims to explore two main questions: (1) How to delineate junior high school students’ conceptual understanding of combustion and (2) How to develop the corresponding test to analyze and investigate this understanding. Taking learning progressions as the theoretical framework, this study established a three-level division of students’ understanding of combustion. Based on the level division, this research developed a set of assessment questions, comprising ten questions, to evaluate this understanding. The test questions were given to 800 eighth-grade students in China before and after the combustion lessons. The results of qualitative and quantitative analyses support the rationality of dividing students’ conceptual understanding of combustion into three levels. Students with a low level of understanding rely on rote memorization of the combustion definition. They can recognize common combustion phenomena based on their learned examples. Students with the intermediate level of understanding have a grasp of both the definition and three requirements for combustion. They can judge whether a substance burns under given conditions. Students with a high level of understanding master the nature of combustion. They can explain combustion phenomena at a submicroscopic level. The findings provide a valuable reference for effectively assessing students’ conceptual understanding of a specific scientific concept and implementing corresponding instructional interventions. This study further confirms the effectiveness of dividing students’ conceptual understanding into different levels and developing corresponding tests. This approach to developing level-based assessments can also be applied to other scientific concepts.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4395–4404"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Course of Proteolytic Stability Experiment for Undergraduates: Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability (DARTS)","authors":"Jin Huang*,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Caiyue Chen,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Zhaomin Xu,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Zhongyu Xu,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Zhongying Sun,&nbsp;, and ,&nbsp;Ying Huang*,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00166","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Proteins are key executors of biological functions in living organisms and serve as important targets in modern drug development. Protein stability is a critical physicochemical property that can be significantly altered by interactions with drugs or other ligands. Understanding the changes in protein stability and the factors that influence these changes is essential for undergraduates in the field of pharmacy and related subjects. Drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) technology, which is based on changes in proteolytic stability, is widely used to identify drug targets and validate drug–protein interactions. To enhance student learning about protein stability, we designed a four-week experimental course based on DARTS for upper-division undergraduates. In this course, students used DARTS, SDS–PAGE, and computational tools to study the effect of ibuprofen binding on the proteolytic stability of human serum albumin (HSA). Students reviewed the relevant literature to obtain foundational knowledge, optimized Pronase hydrolysis conditions, evaluated the impact of ibuprofen on HSA proteolysis, and characterized the samples using SDS–PAGE. Additionally, the students used PyMOL to visualize molecular interactions, gaining a molecular-level understanding of how drug binding affects protein stability. This hands-on course combines wet and dry experiments, helps students better understand protein stability and its importance in drug development, develops skills in literature review, experimental techniques, and computational visualization, and provides essential theoretical knowledge and practical experience for careers in drug research.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4560–4569"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aqueous Electrophilic Aromatic Bromination using KBr and Oxone","authors":"Alvin A. Theccanat,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Mason Hurless,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Dell Jensen Jr.,&nbsp;, and ,&nbsp;Jose R. Boquin*,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00893","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00893","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Electrophilic aromatic bromination reactions are an important class of chemical transformations used to synthesize key intermediates and products. We report an experimental procedure for the bromination of 4-methylanisole using KBr and Oxone in water that can be completed in 40 min at room temperature. This procedure incorporates several principles of green chemistry, providing a safer alternative to the traditional method used for bromination of aromatic compounds. The crude reaction product was characterized using IR and ¹H NMR.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4631–4635"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gamifying a General Chemistry Laboratory Course as a Strategy to Improve the Students’ Motivation","authors":"José Nunes da Silva Júnior*,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Maria do Socorro Caldas Teotônio,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Maria Elenir Nobre Pinho Ribeiro,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Jeanny da Silva Maciel,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Alda Karine Medeiros Holanda,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Francisca Gleyciara Cavalcante Pinheiro,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Maria Clara de Oliveira Alexandre,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;David Salviano de Oliveira,&nbsp;, and ,&nbsp;Antonio José Melo Leite Junior,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00845","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This article describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of the gamification of laboratory activities in a General Chemistry course at the Federal University of Ceará in Brazil. In the gamified laboratory, seven experiments traditionally performed in the course were transformed into ten missions, incorporating game elements such as experience points (XP), virtual coins, and physical rewards to increase student engagement. Gamification was implemented in five classes─two from the Food Engineering program and three from the Pharmacy program─totaling 91 students. Participants evaluated it positively as an alternative to traditional teaching methodologies, in which students merely reproduce procedures in a laboratory. The results indicate that, when properly implemented with educational technologies and clearly defined pedagogical objectives, gamification can be a transformative tool for experimental teaching. It promotes active and collaborative learning while offering a replicable model that supports autonomy, competence, and social interaction in the learning process.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4508–4518"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00845","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incorporating Global Climate Change, Green Chemistry, and Sustainability Themes into the First-Year Chemistry Curriculum","authors":"A. M. Ranjika Priyadarshi Bopegedera*,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01416","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01416","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Global climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, with many communities across the globe already experiencing some of its deleterious consequences. Chemistry educators have the responsibility to prepare their students to face this challenge so that students, as future scientists, engineers, and leaders, could find solutions for it. Green chemistry and sustainability are useful tools in this effort. Educating students about these tools will better equip them to find solutions to climate change and will demonstrate that chemists are committed to a sustainable planet for future generations. This article advocates for integrating climate change, green chemistry, and sustainability themes into the First-Year Chemistry (FYC) curriculum. Doing so would expose a larger cohort of students from a broad spectrum of majors to these critical issues, maximizing the overall impact and benefits. The author’s efforts to present climate change, green chemistry, and sustainability themes in FYC lectures, laboratory experiments, workshops, and seminars are detailed in this article. These efforts often demonstrated real-world applications of chemistry that engaged students’ interest and did not compromise chemistry content or laboratory techniques students are expected to learn in FYC. They are relatively easy to implement in any FYC chemistry classroom, once concept, one experiment at a time, without requiring specialized equipment. Resources for such implementation and the learning outcomes are also presented in the article. In a broader context, incorporating climate change, green chemistry, and sustainability themes into FYC aligned with the concept of “systems thinking” in chemistry education. It also provided opportunities for “spaced practice” as an effective tool for students to review chemistry concepts throughout the year, promoting long-term retention. The rewards for the instructor were high, offering professional growth and the satisfaction of making a meaningful impact on future generations. Warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are dire, stating that inaction to mitigate climate change could threaten the existence of all inhabitants of our planet. Therefore, the effectiveness of a chemistry education could be measured by how well educators prepare students to face and overcome climate change, the greatest challenge of our time.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4305–4313"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study of Atomic and Molecular Plasma Emissions Using a Concentric Glass Tube Assembly with Hollow Electrodes","authors":"Tarek. R. Farhat*,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Tae Jin Kim,&nbsp;, and ,&nbsp;Amanda Flint,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00464","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A practical approach for constructing a plasma discharge system is outlined, designed for advanced physical and analytical chemistry courses. The primary objective is to enhance students’ experiential learning in experimental atomic and molecular emission spectroscopy by employing a concentric glass tube connected to metallic hollow electrodes. This method ensures that students gain a deeper understanding of the technique compared to using a commercial discharge lamp. Additionally, it aims to aid instructors in constructing a homemade plasma chamber for conducting plasma emission experiments. The plasma discharge procedure necessitates a variable high-voltage power supply of 5 kV, a vacuum pressure gauge, and a high-vacuum pump to observe plasma generation as it relates to vacuum pressure and discharge voltage. The benefit for students lies in the chance to perform a plasma ignition experiment that showcases essential quantum mechanical principles, including (i) the analysis of plasma emission lines with a spectroscope to explore the Rydberg-Bohr law, (ii) the splitting of the plasma beam into two streams within an inhomogeneous magnetic field, which exemplifies the Lorentz Plasma-Confinement effect, and (iii) the assessment of Paschen’s law for optimal plots of breakdown voltage vs vacuum pressure.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4636–4642"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the Impact of Safety Responsibility and Safety Attitude on Safety Voice among Graduate Students in Chemical Research Laboratories","authors":"Xinglong Jin,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Xue Han,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Zijian Xu,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Xiaoyi Zhai,&nbsp;, and ,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Wang*,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c01464","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This study examines the impact of safety responsibility and safety attitude on safety voice among graduate students concerning laboratory safety. The results show that the safety responsibility and safety attitude of graduate students positively correlate with their safety voice. In addition, the moderating role of mentors’ safety leadership is significant. High safety leadership strengthens the positive link between safety responsibility/attitude and safety voice, whereas low safety leadership reverses it, suppressing voice despite increased responsibility/attitude. The results provide data support and practical reference for the safety management of chemical research laboratories.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4322–4328"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Connecting High School Students to College Students through Chemistry Laboratory Experiences","authors":"Anne M. Wilson*,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Paul Morgan,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Karisma Moll,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Merritt Jugo,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Reesha Bhagat,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Sam Magnabosco,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Sam Reichenbach,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Anjali Rabindran,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Brianna Bokish,&nbsp;, ,&nbsp;Simone McCowan,&nbsp;, and ,&nbsp;Martine Cardichon,&nbsp;","doi":"10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00576","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00576","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Hands-on experiences, especially those in the laboratory, can be an excellent means for chemists to engage with the community. High school laboratory experiences are often limited due to time, resources, and safety. Herein, we describe the current implementation of our Indianapolis Community Requirement (ICR) course whereby we invite high school students onto our university campus to engage in a meaningful laboratory experience based on laboratories from this <i>Journal</i> as a template for a successful community engagement exercise. Responses from surveys of university students and high school teachers are included.</p>","PeriodicalId":43,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Chemical Education","volume":"102 10","pages":"4449–4454"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00576","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145277526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}