A Pollutant Transformation Laboratory Exercise for Environmental Chemistry: The Reduction of Nitrobenzenes by Anaerobic Solutions of Humic Acid

Dunnivant, Frank M.; Reynolds, Mark-Cody

doi:10.1021/ed084p315

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…First and foremost, to our knowledge, it is the first laboratory experiment for undergraduate students to quantify microplastic (with an emphasis on microfibers) pollution in soil samples. Environmental concerns are of major importance to many students, and although there are many published environmental chemistry laboratory experiments, some of which deal with plastics, there are none that allow students to quantify microplastics pollution in their environment. − Second, this laboratory experiment incorporates several key topics (pH, solution concentration calculations, etc.) learned in virtually any nonmajors’ or majors’ chemistry course within a single laboratory experiment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting Microplastics in Soil and Sediment in an Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Laboratory Experiment That Promotes Skill Building and Encourages Environmental Awareness

et al. 2018

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Environmental pollution is both a worldwide and a local issue, and microplastic pollution in particular is receiving increased attention due to its prevalence and bioaccumulation potential affecting the food chain. This laboratory experiment uses current, research-based methods such that the students can determine the extent of microplastic pollution in local soil samples. This laboratory experiment can be used as either a 2 or 3 week mini-research-project for first-year undergraduate students in either an introductory chemistry course for nonmajors or a general chemistry course for majors. The laboratory experiment gives students exposure to sieving, density gradients, and exposure to the Fenton reagent to isolate microplastics from soil samples, which are then analyzed and quantified under stereomicroscope magnification. Several general chemistry topics common to most first-year chemistry courses (density and solution concentration calculations, etc.) are emphasized during the laboratory experiment. From postexperiment assessments, students showed a marked improvement in select skill sets and knowledge of the microplastic pollution problem, and some students recognized their misconceptions concerning research following the completion of this laboratory experiment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting Microplastics in Soil and Sediment in an Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Laboratory Experiment That Promotes Skill Building and Encourages Environmental Awareness

et al. 2018

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“…161 Dunnivant similarly describes a method for nitrobenzene transformation (reduction with humic acid) to be monitored by GC or LC. 162 As a means for introducing students to aspects of toxicology and the potential harm of our various chemical products, several bioassays have been developed as laboratory exercises: brine shrimp for household chemicals 163 or benzodiazepine 24. d The smog formation potential (SFP) measures the ability of a volatile organic chemical to contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone relative to the maximum incremental reactivity for a standard mixture of reactive organic gases.…”

Section: Fate Toxicity and Waste Reductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grant developed a spectrophotometric method for students to observe the biodegradation of p -nitrophenol . Dunnivant similarly describes a method for nitrobenzene transformation (reduction with humic acid) to be monitored by GC or LC …”

Section: Assessment Focused On Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… a See ref . b See ref . c See refs , , , , and . d See ref . e See refs − . f See ref . g See ref . h See refs , , . i See ref . j See refs − . k See refs , , − , and − . l See refs − and . m See ref . n See ref . o See refs and . p See refs , , − , and . q See refs and . …”

Section: Cross-curricular Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evaluating Feedstocks, Processes, and Products in the Teaching Laboratory: A Framework for Students To Use Metrics to Design Greener Chemistry Experiments

Silverman

Hudson

2019

J. Chem. Educ.

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Exciting developments in the field of Green Chemistry spur the continuous innovation of experiments in the teaching laboratory. Beyond learning practical techniques, students can critically assess experiments using relevant metrics to propose further improvements and identify the most important interconnected impacts of these alternative products and processes. Herein we review popular laboratory experiments through the simple framework of feedstocks, processes, and products, offering data-driven methods for student evaluation of experiments used in the teaching laboratory. These evaluations employ techniques from life-cycle assessments and techno-economic analyses leveraging freely available data from online databases and safety data sheets. These methods may be used by students and educators to first assess seemingly distinct facets of a chemical transformation (energy inputs, reagent toxicity, etc.) and then relate these to meaningfully address system-wide improvements (replacing harmful solvents, reducing reagent costs, etc.).

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Effect of nitrobenzene on the performance and bacterial community in an expanded granular sludge bed reactor treating high-sulfate organic wastewater

Luo

et al. 2018

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.

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A Pollutant Transformation Laboratory Exercise for Environmental Chemistry: The Reduction of Nitrobenzenes by Anaerobic Solutions of Humic Acid

Cited by 3 publications

References 24 publications

Detecting Microplastics in Soil and Sediment in an Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Laboratory Experiment That Promotes Skill Building and Encourages Environmental Awareness

Detecting Microplastics in Soil and Sediment in an Undergraduate Environmental Chemistry Laboratory Experiment That Promotes Skill Building and Encourages Environmental Awareness

Evaluating Feedstocks, Processes, and Products in the Teaching Laboratory: A Framework for Students To Use Metrics to Design Greener Chemistry Experiments

Effect of nitrobenzene on the performance and bacterial community in an expanded granular sludge bed reactor treating high-sulfate organic wastewater

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