A Classroom-Based Activity to Teach Students How to Apply Organic Chemistry Theory to Design Experiments

Abstract

A core skill for practicing organic chemists is the ability to apply organic chemistry to design experiments. In this article we describe an activity to help students along the pathway toward developing into practicing organic chemists. The workshop teaches students how to use organic chemistry to design synthetic organic chemistry experiments by connecting theory to the choices of various reaction conditions, which the students had to choose for their target molecules. Students who undertook this activity were able to design procedures yielding their target molecules and evidenced the development of experimental design skills.

Preparation, Characterization and Application of Novel Photocatalytic Two-Dimensional Material Membrane: A Reform of Comprehensive Experimental Teaching

“…At present, traditional undergraduate experiments such as organic chemistry experiments, physical chemistry experiments, analytical chemistry experiments and inorganic chemistry experiments are closely tied with their corresponding theoretical courses [32,33]. The content of undergraduate experimental teaching has not kept pace with the actual needs of scientific research and development, and reform of comprehensive experimental teaching for undergraduate students is necessary.…”

Introducing Elements of Inquiry and Experimental Design in the First Year of an Undergraduate Laboratory Program

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