Inorganic compounds have had a profound impact on society – both ancient and modern – as building materials, tools, technological components, dyes, and so on. Undergraduate inorganic laboratory courses provide the opportunity to showcase these applications and industries, which may not be introduced in other undergraduate courses. Herein we present our progress towards developing inorganic laboratory activities that demonstrate the similarities between ancient and modern syntheses across the breadth of inorganic chemistry applications. Within inorganic chemistry courses, solid-state materials are sometimes overlooked. To highlight solid-state chemistry, we have developed laboratory experiments that compare the ancient synthesis of bronze with the modern synthesis of the YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) superconductor. During this experiment students explore historical aspects of chemistry, focusing on ancient methods of synthesizing bronze from a natural source such as malachite, as well as how impurities introduced during the synthesis can affect the physical characteristics of the end product. In parallel, students synthesize a superconductor using similar methods and identify similarities between the ancient and modern reactions. Further, the modern synthesis expands on students’ concept of conductivity and reveals for discussion the ways in which it can be applied.

Exploring ancient and modern syntheses in undergraduate inorganic chemistry

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

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