The Human Side of Teaching and Learning
The October 2018 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: research on: AP chemistry reform and writing instruction; novel teaching approaches; demonstrations: safety and effectiveness; augmented reality and technology for teaching; using stories and history to teach; exploring acid-base chemistry; understanding energy; biochemistry in the laboratory; teaching resources; astrochemistry resources for National Chemistry Week 2018.
Cover: Illustrating the Human Side of Teaching and Learning
Those involved in teaching and learning chemistry interact with the science in ways that are unique, as noted in this issue's editorial in which Norbert Pienta discusses Illustrating the Human Side of Teaching and Learning. For example, the cover shows students learning chemistry in a course that uses an approach to encourage student interaction and minimize instructor lecturing. In this integrated learning environment, the space is designed to facilitate interactions between small groups of students with guidance from peer-learning assistants. Students are grouped at tables where they are encouraged to interact within their smaller group as well as with the other groups on activities that emphasize conceptual understanding.
Some articles in this issue showing the human dimension:
From Water to H2O: Using the Human Dimension of Science To Teach the Nature of Science ~ José Luis Aparicio and María P. Elizalde
Utilizing Snapchat To Facilitate Engagement with and Contextualization of Undergraduate Chemistry ~ Glenn A. Hurst
Journal News
Ellen Yezierski, chair of the Board of Publications, announces that Tom Holme of Iowa State University has been selected as the Ninth Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Chemical Education. (ACS has also issued a news release on this announcement.)
Call for Papers: Systems Thinking, and Green and Sustainable Chemistry
A Special Issue on Reimagining Chemistry Education: Systems Thinking, and Green and Sustainable Chemistry with guest editors, Peter G. Mahaffy, Edward J. Brush, Julie A. Haack, and Felix M. Ho, has been announced. Deadline for submissions is April 1, 2019. (This was also recently announced on ChemEdX.)
Content in this issue using a green approach:
A Second Look at the Kinetics of the Iron–Oxygen Reaction: Determination of the Total Order Using a Greener Approach ~ A. M. R. P. Bopegedera
Organocatalytic Cyclopropanation of (E)-Dec-2-enal: Synthesis, Spectral Analysis and Mechanistic Understanding ~ Marta Meazza, Agnieszka Kowalczuk, Sarah Watkins, Simon Holland, Thomas A. Logothetis, and Ramon Rios
Research on: AP Chemistry Reform and Writing Instruction
Adapting to the Large-Scale Advanced Placement Chemistry Reform: An Examination of Teachers’ Challenges and Instructional Practices ~ Christian Fischer, Arthur Eisenkraft, Barry Fishman, Nicolas Hübner, and Frances Lawrenz
Writing Instruction in Chemistry Classes: Developing Prompts and Rubrics ~ Kayla Logan and Lee Mountain
Novel Teaching Approaches
Impact of an Atoms-First Approach on Student Outcomes in a Two-Semester General Chemistry Course ~ George Chitiyo, Darek W. Potter, and Chad E. Rezsnyak
Designing and Teaching a Course about Characterization Techniques for Solid State Materials in an Undergraduate Institution ~ Alexandre H. Pinto
Demonstration: Safety and Effectiveness
Playing with Fire: Chemical Safety Expertise Required ~ Samuella B. Sigmann (available to non-subscribers as part of ACS Editors’ Choice program)
Chemistry Demonstrations and Visual Attention: Does the Setup Matter? Evidence from a Double-Blinded Eye-Tracking Study ~ Andreas Nehring and Sebastian Busch
Augmented Reality and Technology for Teaching
Increasing Enthusiasm and Enhancing Learning for Biochemistry-Laboratory Safety with an Augmented-Reality Program ~ Bolin Zhu, Mi Feng, Hannah Lowe, Jeffrey Kesselman, Lane Harrison, and Robert E. Dempski
Social and Tactile Mixed Reality Increases Student Engagement in Undergraduate Lab Activities ~ Rainier Barrett, Heta A. Gandhi, Anusha Naganathan, Danielle Daniels, Yang Zhang, Chibueze Onwunaka, April Luehmann, and Andrew D. White
Integrating 360° Videos in an Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory Course ~ Alvita Ardisara and Fun Man Fung
Using Stories and History to Teach
Biological Impact and Ethical Implications of Pesticide Use: A Short Module for Upper-Division-Undergraduate Biochemistry Courses ~ Lisa M. Ryno and Cheryl Cottine
Naming the Cycle: On the Etymology of the Citric Acid Cycle Intermediates ~ Peter Polčic
Exploring Acid-Base Chemistry
Buffers in Context: Baby Wipes As a Buffer System ~ Jon-Marc G. Rodriguez, Sarah Hensiek, Jeanne R. Meyer, Cynthia J. Harwood, and Marcy H. Towns
Unimolecular Nucleophilic Substitution (SN1): Structural Reactivity Evidenced by Colored Acid–Base Indicators ~ Willber D. Castro-Godoy, Juan E. Argüello, Marisa Martinelli, and Daniel A. Caminos
Understanding Energy
How Batteries Store and Release Energy: Explaining Basic Electrochemistry ~ Klaus Schmidt-Rohr (available to non-subscribers as part of the ACS AuthorChoice program)
Electromotive Force versus Electrical Potential Difference: Approaching (but Not Yet at) Equilibrium ~ Leandro da Silva Rodrigues, Jones de Andrade, and Luiz H. S. Gasparotto
Electrochemical Reaction Gibbs Energy: Spontaneity in Electrochemical Cells ~ Tomasz Pacześniak, Katarzyna Rydel-Ciszek, Paweł Chmielarz, Maria Charczuk, and Andrzej Sobkowiak
Comparative Analysis of Fuel Composition and Physical Properties of Biodiesel, Diesel, Kerosene, and Jet Fuel ~ Timm A. Knoerzer, Elise M. Hill, Todd A. Davis, Scott T. Iacono, Jane E. Johnson, and Gary J. Balaich
Biochemistry in the Laboratory
Permanganate Oxidation of DNA Nucleotides: An Introductory Redox Laboratory Framed as a Murder Mystery ~ Stephen M. Testa, John P. Selegue, April French, and Brett Criswell
Synthesis and Evaluation of Artificial DNA Scissors: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Experiment ~ Jan Hormann, Sabine Streller, and Nora Kulak
Genotype and Phenotype of Caffeine Metabolism: A Biochemistry Laboratory Experiment ~ Julie T. Millard, Tenzin Passang, Jiayu Ye, Gabriel M. Kline, Tina M. Beachy, Victoria L. Hepburn, and Edmund J. Klinkerch
Activation of Split RNA Aptamers: Experiments Demonstrating the Enzymatic Synthesis of Short RNAs and Their Assembly As Observed by Fluorescent Response ~ Sameer Sajja, Morgan Chandler, Caryn D. Striplin, and Kirill A. Afonin
Real-Time Visualization of in Vitro Transcription of a Fluorescent RNA Aptamer: An Experiment for the Upper-Division Undergraduate or First-Year Graduate Laboratory ~ Joseph M. Heili, Jose Gomez-Garcia, Nathaniel J. Gaut, Brock W. Cash, Lauren M. Aufdembrink, Brent A. Heffron, Joshua D. Shirley, Erin E. Carlson, Katarzyna P. Adamala, and Aaron E. Engelhart
Investigating the Clough, Lutz, and Jirgensons Rule for the pH Dependence of Optical Rotation of Amino Acids ~ Scott Simpson and Alexandra M. Izydorczak
Teaching Resources
Is a Metal “Ions in a Sea of Delocalized Electrons?” ~ Peter F. Lang
Crime in the Classroom: Conclusions after 27 Years ~ David N. Harpp
Color Space Mathematical Modeling Using Microsoft Excel ~ M. J. Delgado-González, Y. Carmona-Jiménez, M. C. Rodríguez-Dodero, and M. V. García-Moreno
Employing Spreadsheets for Applying Calculus in Upper-Level Chemistry Courses ~ Paul D. Cooper
Correction to “3-D Topo Surface Visualization of Acid–Base Species Distributions: Corner Buttes, Corner Pits, Curving Ridge Crests, and Dilution Plains” ~ Garon C. Smith and Md Mainul Hossain
3! 2! 1! Archives: Chemistry Is Out of This World!
Celebrate National Chemistry Week 2018: Chemistry Is Out of This World! with astrochemistry resources in past issues of the Journal of Chemical Education, such as:
Exploring Astrochemistry
Astrochemistry Examples in the Classroom ~ Reggie L. Hudson
Astronomy Matters for Chemistry Teachers ~ Jay S. Huebner, Robert A. Vergenz, and Terry L. Smith
Experimenting with Sunlight
CD Light: An Introduction to Spectroscopy
A Simple Photocell To Demonstrate Solar Energy Using Benign Household Ingredients ~ York R. Smith, Eric Crone, and Vaidyanathan (Ravi) Subramanian
Putting UV-Sensitive Beads to the Test ~ Terre Trupp
Investigating Rockets and Space Exploration
Rocket Scientist for a Day: Investigating Alternatives for Chemical Propulsion ~ Marcus Angelin, Martin Rahm, Erik Gabrielsson, and Lena Gumaelius
Improvements to the Whoosh Bottle Rocket Car Demonstration ~ Dean J. Campbell, Felicia A. Staiger, and Chaitanya N. Jujjavarapu
Teaching Chemistry Using October Sky ~ James G. Goll, Lindsay J. Wilkinson, and Dolores M. Snell
Carbon Dioxide Absorbers: An Engaging Experiment for the General Chemistry Laboratory ~ Thomas M. Ticich
Using NASA and the Space Program To Help High School and College Students Learn Chemistry. Part I. The Shuttle and Our Living Earth ~ Paul B. Kelter, William E. Snyder, and Constance S. Buchar
Using NASA and the Space Program To Help High School and College Students Learn Chemistry. Part II. The Current State of Chemistry in the Space Program ~ Paul B. Kelter, William E. Snyder, and Constance S. Buchar
The Apollo Missions and the Chemistry of the Moon ~ Richard A. Pacer and William D. Ehmann
Teaching Chemistry Using the Movie Apollo 13 ~ James G. Goll and B. J. Woods
Teaching Chemistry Using From the Earth to the Moon ~ James G. Goll and Stacie L. Mundinger
Examining the Chemistry of Planets, Stars, and Space
Chemistry in Planetology ~ Robert E. Mueller
The Chemistry of Planetary Atmospheres ~ W. T. Huntress Jr.
Demonstrations of Magnetism and Oxidation by Combustion of Iron Supplement Tablets ~ Max J. Palmer, Keri A. Martinez, Mayuresh G. Gadgil, and Dean J. Campbell
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Qualitative Analysis of Metals in Simulated Martian Soils ~ Curtis Mowry, Rob Milofsky, William Collins, and Adam S. Pimentel
A Nonradioactive Simulation of the Viking Mission Labeled-Release Experiment: A Search for Evidence of Life ~ Lydia Galagovsky, Santiago Kocmur, Guillermo J. Visbeek, Liliana Haim, and Eduardo Cortón
Periodic Tables of Elemental Abundance ~ Steven I. Dutch
Before There Was Chemistry: The Origin of the Elements as an Introduction to Chemistry ~ Neil Glickstein
Stellar Alchemy: The Origin of the Chemical Elements ~ Eric B. Norman
Cometary Spectroscopy for Advanced Undergraduates ~ Osman Sorkhabi, William M. Jackson, and Iraj Daizadeh
The Discovery of the Chemistry among the Stars ~ Arturo Arnau, Iñaki Tuñón, and Estanislao Silla
Content in the Journal of Chemical Education Is Always Out of This World
With 95 volumes of the Journal of Chemical Education, you will always find something to help your chemistry experiences, including 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 Author Guidelines and Document Templates. In addition, ACS has recently created the ACS Publishing Center, which has resources for preparing and reviewing mansucript for ACS journals.