Introducing practical organic synthesis to undergraduate students often presents challenges, particularly as many students are using glassware and laboratory equipment for the first time. As a result, initial learning objectives of these practicals tend to focus on developing technical skills, which often leaves students questioning the broader purpose of the work undertaken.
Framing laboratory sessions with an overarching concept helps make abstract ideas more relevant to students. Green chemistry offers a valuable platform to demonstrate the relevance of organic synthesis, and that the selection of a particular synthetic methodology can have an impact on the outcome of a chemical transformation.[1-3]
We present a laboratory practical that introduces green chemistry, focused on the oxidation reaction of benzoin to benzil [4-5], and highlights the importance of decision-making in the lab. This scaffolded-inquiry approach introduces experimental design skills within [anonymous]a spiral curriculum approach.[6] Using their experimental data, students explore the 12-principles of green chemistry and start to consider weighing up the factors, such as purity, yield, melting point, or adherence to green chemistry principles, to determine whether a reaction is “good” or “bad”.[7]
Chemical Education
,Sustainability
,Undergraduate
