Described herein is an internship course for undergraduate chemistry majors that provided experiential learning in experimental design for the undergraduate inorganic chemistry laboratory. A primary literature search was conducted to determine a cross-disciplinary topic with practical applications that could be sufficiently examined within two four-hour laboratory meetings. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were chosen as the focus due to their versatility, customizability, and ease of preparation. Four articles selected from the literature served as the basis for the following experiment designed to explore the synthesis and applications of three different MOFs. First, a γ-cyclodextrin MOF was synthesized. The ability of this MOF to adsorb 1) a simulated pollutant from solution and 2) CO2 gas was gauged using UV-Vis spectroscopy or gravimetric analysis. Next, the host-guest chemistry of the magnesium bisformate MOF, α-Mg3(O2CH)6, was studied with 1H NMR spectroscopy by examining the uptake of five different solvents. Lastly, a polypropylene bottle was employed as a reaction vessel to synthesize Co3(BTC)2-12H2O, and the structural changes associated with dehydration were assessed using gravimetric analysis and infrared spectroscopy. A lab manual, post-laboratory assessment, and grading rubric were created to be used by the course instructor. For each experiment, already published synthetic procedures were practiced and then slightly modified to match current inventory and time constraints. Additionally, waste management as well as good laboratory practices were discussed.

Inorganic chemistry teaching lab: A metal-organic framework inspired experiment

2019 Spring National Meeting

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