|
|
| Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues >
2006
>
February
> |
|
In the Laboratory
|
|
|
|
Preparation and Viscosity of Biodiesel from New and Used Vegetable Oil. An Inquiry-Based
Environmental Chemistry Laboratory
|
Nathan R. Clarke, John Patrick Casey, Earlene D. Brown, Ezenwa Oneyma, and Kelley J. Donaghy
Department of Chemistry, American University, Washington, DC 20016-8014
|
|
February 2006
Vol. 83 No. 2
p. 257
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Abstract |
|
The environmental and economic impact of relying heavily on fossil fuels has never been more apparent than in the last several years. Teaching labs should reflect the time period and the scientific concerns relevant to the lives of their students. Presented here is a simple synthetic laboratory that requires the student to find a general synthetic method to make biodiesel (fuel made from clean sources such as vegetable oils) and assess its viscosity versus temperature. The lab is run in the context of answering a fictitious inquiry from the National Park Service (NPS) and, as much as possible, the procedures and interpretations are developed by the students. The students are then instructed to write a memo that responds to the NPS inquiry and includes their synthetic details and a detailed interpretation of their viscosity data. This lab has been used with the general chemistry laboratory (16–24 students) at the end of the first semester when organic chemistry is discussed or at the beginning of the second semester after the properties of liquids are discussed. The synthesis and the viscosity experiments take two three-hour laboratory periods.
|
| Supplement |
Notes to the instructor, handouts for the students, sample National Park Service memo, details about the use and calculations associated with viscometers, sample synthesis, viscosity data, and spectral data are available.
|
 Contents |
JCE2006p0257W.doc (Microsoft Word)
|
| Download |
|
|
| More Information |
Citation |
Clarke, Nathan R.; Casey, John Patrick; Brown, Earlene D.; Oneyma, Ezenwa; Donaghy, Kelley J. . J. Chem. Educ. 2006 83 257.
|
Keywords |
Applications of Chemistry; Communication / Writing; Environmental Chemistry; Esters; First-Year Undergraduate / General; Hands-On Learning / Manipulatives; Inquiry-Based / Discovery Learning; Internet / Web-Based Learning; Laboratory Instruction; Organic Chemistry; Physical Chemistry; Physical Properties; Synthesis
|
History |
Created:
Last Updated: |
1/5/2006
1/9/2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues >
2006
>
February
> Page
257
|
|
|
| JCE HS CLIC |
|
Our Secondary School editors work hard to distill all the JCE materials to produce a fraction of particular interest to high school teachers. We call it CLIC.
|
| Contributions Welcome |
| JCE welcomes your submission |
| Advertisers |
| In recent years we have worked hard to better match our advertisers with our readers. When shopping for chemistry education materials, visit our advertisers' WWW sites first. |
| Be An Ambassador |
| Take JCE along on your outreach missions. Copies of the Journal, guest access to JCE Online, our publications catalog, and more are available for your participants. |
|
