The copper catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition is a mainstay in chemical synthesis, materials science, biochemistry, and medical chemistry. Due to the widespread use of this reaction, it is becoming increasingly important to incorporate this chemistry into undergraduate courses and labs. Accordingly, we have developed an inquiry based laboratory activity that introduces students to this reaction. Because the lab is inquiry based, students formulate their own questions and design an experiment to test their hypothesis. This teaching lab was piloted in a second semester organic chemistry teaching lab at The University of Tulsa. Among the projects initiated by students, several centered on an investigation of various copper catalysts and their influence on the rate and yield. The reaction featured is operationally simple and employs commercially available reagents. Moreover, the product of this reaction precipitates directly from the reaction mixture, obviating the need for purification. This lab can be coordinated with other teacher efforts in catalysis, inorganic chemistry, and NMR spectroscopy.

Inquiry based teaching lab featuring the copper catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition

247th National Meeting (2014)

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