A top international journal has featured a pioneering Chemistry undergraduate practical developed at the University of Kent for second-year students.
The Journal of Chemical Education this month published an article – Updating Dimedone─The Humble Hero of the Organic Laboratory – authored by Dr Stefano Biagini and the technician team of Dr Alex Wright, Hazel Harris and Dave Colclough, describing the laboratory session and how it impacts students’ learning and wider outcomes.
During the class, students learn to safely handle dangerous compounds such as sodium, to synthesise dimedone which belongs to an important class of molecules including herbicides and anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of arthritis.
Dr Biagini said: ‘This is an example of the commitment of the team to develop innovative chemical education and showcases how a laboratory practical can simultaneously bring to life the subject, teach laboratory techniques and link the experiment to an in-depth understanding of core principles in organic chemistry.’
‘The article celebrates the teamwork of technicians and academics, our students and local school students’.
The article was illustrated by original artwork by a Chemistry A Level student at Simon Langton School for Boys in Canterbury.
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The Journal of Chemical Education is the world’s foremost journal in its field, and for an article to be accepted the authors have to demonstrate how several cohorts of students have undertaken and benefitted from the experiment.