Michael Spiro, "What's in a nice cup of tea?" Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(1), 11. A description of how black tea is made (by fermentation) and what organic compounds it contains. (21 references)

Reiko Isuyama, Peter W. Tiedemann, and Omar A. El Seoud, "Halogenation of alkanes, revisited," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(1), 23. Demonstrations of light-catalyzed bromination and phase transfer dehydrobromination are described. (14 references)

T. M. Brown, C. J. Cooksey, A. T. Dronsfield, and R. Boon, "Porphyrins - past, present and future," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(2), 44. Several chemical concepts and techniques are described with porphorins as examples. Laboratory preparations of tetraphenylporphorin and several of its metal complexes are included. (13 references)

Simon A. Coffon, "Searching for the transactinides," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(3), 67. A brief recounting of the synthesis of man-made elements 104 to 111. (19 references)

John W. Nicholson and Lydia R. Pierce, "Strontium - a neglected element," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(3), 74 The story of strontium. (12 references)

John Mann, "The antibiotic era," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(4), 94. The successes of antibiotics from salvarsan to penicillins to valinomycin are outlined. The need for continued reseach in light of acquired drug resistance by bacteria is emphasized. (10 references)

Terence R. Kee, "The one minute lecture," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(4), 100. Small groups of students prepare concise presentations on a given topic. Students learn to focus on the most important aspects and facts as well as learning organization skills. (1 reference)

Michael Laing, "Shaping up with EAN and VSEPR," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(4), 102. The effective atomic number (EAN) and the valence shell electron pair repulsion (VESPR) rule are used to predict geometries of transition metal complexes. (29 references)

Barry Halliwell, "Free radicals - in sickness and in health," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(5), 123. The link between free radicals and illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritus, Parkinson's disease, and heart disease is highlighted. (16 references)

T. M. Brown, C. J. Cooksey, A. T. Dronsfield, and T. R. B. McLachlan, "Analysing mixtures, the modern way," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(5), 125. A short description of modern gas chromatography/quadrupole mass spectrometry instrumentation. (5 references)

E. O. Bishop, "Group work for undergraduates," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(5), 131. Laboratory practicals consisting of projects carried out by teams of 5 to 7 students are described. (9 references)

Michael Laing, "The Karlsruhe Congress, 1860," Educ. Chem. 1995, 32(6), 151. A short account of the first international conference of chemists convened to establish the atomic weights of the elements. (7 references)

Najah J. Kadhim, Stuart H. Laurie, and Reman McDonagh, "Chemistry for electronics," Educ. Chem. 1996, 33(1), 11. The chemical etching process used in the manufacture of semiconductors is explained. GaAS is used as a specific example.

R. J. H. Clark, C. J. Cooksey, M. A. M. Daniels, and R. Withnall, "Indigo - red, white and blue," Educ. Chem. 1996, 33(1), 16. The synthesis of indirubin is described. Historical and other background information on indigoid dyes - indigo, Tyrian purple, and indirubin - is provided. (24 references)

P. G. Nelson, "Demonstrating constant composition," Educ. Chem. 1996, 33(1), 22. A demonstration of constant composition using precipitation of barium chromate is described. (3 references)

John Nicholson, "Cyanide - a toxic partnership," Educ. Chem. 1996, 33(2), 39. A brief description of the discovery and chemical and physical properties of hydrogen cyanide and other cyanide compounds. (13 references)

Michael Laing, "Bonding in ozone," Educ. Chem. 1996, 33(2), 46. A description of the bonding in ozone is developed considering only overlap of 2p atomic orbitals on oxygen. The predicted bond length and bond angle are consistent with measured physical properties. (17 references)

T. M. Brown, C. J. Cooksey, A. T. Dronsfield, and T. R. B. McLachlon, "In control of organic reactions," Educ. Chem. 1996, 33(2), 48. An experiment for upper-level undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory is described. Acetophenone and related compounds are reduced with an optically active reagent (DIP-Chloride) to yield a chiral alcohol with high enantiomeric excess. (6 references)

M. J. Pratt, "Chemistry on a plate," Educ. Chem. 1996, 33(3), 68. The role of polymers and photochemistry in modern lithographic printing is discussed. (7 references)

K. S. Lou, K. H. Wong, E. T. Chau, and S. K. Yeung, "Fibre optics in the laboratory," Educ. Chem. 1996, 33(3), 75. The construction of a simple fiber optic sensor from readily available materials is described. (8 references)

Stephen W. Bigger, Lawrence N. Ngeh, John D. Orbell, and Peter T. McTigue, "Kinetics in a calorimeter," Educ. Chem. 1996, 33(3), 80. Two experiments in reaction kinetics, the hydration of propanal and the hydrolysis of tert-butyl chloride, are described. The kinetics are followed using a simple calorimeter. (14 references)