Embedding environmental sustainability in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum : a case study

In spite of increasing attention devoted to the importance of embedding sustainability in university curricula, few Australian universities include specific green chemistry units, and there is no mention of green or sustainable chemistry concepts in the majority of units. In this paper, an argument is posited that all universities should embed sustainable chemistry within all Chemistry courses because it is the morally correct stance to minimise the harm of climate change. Attitudes of chemistry lecturers towards integrating sustainability into their teaching have been probed and it was found, using an established model, that personal environmental perspectives are critical to their attitude. Importantly, academic staff whose research has an environmental component were more likely to incorporate sustainability into their teaching while others struggled to find ways to do so even when they believed it to be important. This paper will recommend that resources are required to assist academic staff without a green chemistry research program to incorporate sustainability into their teaching and several suggestions are provided.

A comparative study on the mineralogy, chemistry and chronology of the Apollo 16 crystalline impact melt breccias. Part II: Chronology.

The controversy on how to interpret the ages of lunar highland breccias has recently been discussed by James [1]. Are the measured ages testimony of true events in lunar history; do they represent the age of the ancient crustal rocks, mixed ages of unequilibrated matrix-phenocryst relationships, or merely thermal events subsequent to the formational event ? It is certain from analyses of terrestrial impact melt breccias that the melt matrix of whole impact melt sheets is isotopically equilibrated due to the extensive mixing process of the early cratering stage [2,3]. It has been shown that isotopic equilibration takes place between impact melt matrix and target rock clasts therein, with the intensity of isotopic exchange depending on the degree of shock metamorphism, thermal metamorphism and the size of the clasts [4]. Therefore, impact melt breccias - if they are relatively clast-poor and mineralogically well studied - can be considered to be the most reliable source for information on the impact history of the lunar highland.

Academic success in context-based chemistry : Demonstrating fluid transitions between concepts and context

Curriculum developers and researchers have promoted context-based programmes to arrest waning student interest and participation in the enabling sciences at high school and university. Context-based programmes aim for student connections between scientific discourse and real-world contexts to elevate curricular relevance without diminishing conceptual understanding. This interpretive study explored the learning transactions in one 11th grade context-based chemistry classroom where the context was the local creek. The dialectic of agency/structure was used as a lens to examine how the practices in classroom interactions afforded students the agency for learning. The results suggest that first, fluid transitions were evident in the student–student interactions involving successful students; and second, fluid transitions linking concepts to context were evident in the students’ successful reports. The study reveals that the structures of writing and collaborating in groups enabled students’ agential and fluent movement between the field of the real-world creek and the field of the formal chemistry classroom. Furthermore, characteristics of academically successful students in context-based chemistry are highlighted. Research, teaching, and future directions for context-based science teaching are discussed.

Higher order thinking in chemistry curriculum and its assessment

Higher-order thinking has featured persistently in the reform agenda for science education. The intended curriculum in various countries sets out aspirational statements for the levels of higher-order thinking to be attained by students. This study reports the extent to which chemistry examinations from four Australian states align and facilitate the intended higher-order thinking skills stipulated in curriculum documents. Through content analysis, the curriculum goals were identified for each state and compared to the nature of question items in the corresponding examinations. Categories of higher-order thinking were adapted from the OECD’s PISA Science test to analyze question items. There was considerable variation in the extent to which the examinations from the states supported the curriculum intent of developing and assessing higher-order thinking. Generally, examinations that used a marks-based system tended to emphasize lower-order thinking, with a greater distribution of marks allocated for lower-order thinking questions. Examinations associated with a criterion-referenced examination tended to award greater credit for higher-order thinking questions. The level of complexity of chemistry was another factor that limited the extent to which examination questions supported higher-order thinking. Implications from these findings are drawn for the authorities responsible for designing curriculum and assessment procedures and for teachers.

Turbulent mixing and sediment processes in peri-urban estuariesin South-East Queensland (Australia)

An estuary is formed at the mouth of a river where the tides meet a freshwater flow and it may be classified as a function of the salinity distribution and density stratification. An overview of the broad characteristics of the estuaries of South-East Queensland(Australia) is presented herein, where the small peri-urban estuaries may provide an useful indicator of potential changes which might occur in larger systems with growing urbanisation. Small peri-urban estuaries exhibits many key hydrological features and associated with ecosystem types of larger estuaries, albeit at smaller scales, often with a greater extent of urban development as a proportion of catchment area. We explore the potential for some smaller peri-urban estuaries to be used as natural laboratories to gain some much needed information on the estuarine processes, although any dynamics similarity is presently limited by critical absence of in-depth physical investigation in larger estuarine systems. The absence of the detailed turbulence and sedimentary data hampers the understanding and modelling of the estuarine zones. The interactions between the various stake holders are likely to define the vision for the future of South-East Queensland's peri-urban estuaries. This will require a solid understanding of the bio-physical function and capacity of the peri-urban estuaries. Based upon the knowledge gap, it is recommended that an adaptive trial and error approach be adopted for the future of investigation and management strategies.

Using formative feedback to identify and support first year chemistry students with missing or misconceptions. A Practice Report

Students entering tertiary studies possess a diverse range of prior experiences in their academic preparation for tertiary chemistry so academics need tools to enable them to respond to issues in diversity in conceptual models possessed by entering students. Concept inventories can be used to provide formative feedback to help students identify concepts that they need to address to improve construction of subsequent understanding enabling their learning. Modular, formative learning activities that can be administered inside or outside of class in first year chemistry courses have been developed. These activities address key missing and mis-conceptions possessed by incoming student. Engagement in these learning activities by students and academics will help shift the culture of diagnostic and formative assessment within the tertiary context and address issues around the secondary/tertiary transition. This diagnostic/intervention framework is currently being trialed across five Australian tertiary institutions encompassing a large heterogeneous sample of students.

Comprehensive study of surface chemistry of MCM-41 using 29Si CP/MAS NMR, FTIR, pyridine-TPD, and TGA

A comprehensive study was conducted on mesoporous MCM-41. Spectroscopic examinations demonstrated that three types of silanol groups, i.e., single, (SiO)3Si-OH, hydrogen-bonded, (SiO)3Si-OH-OH-Si(SiO)3, and geminal, (SiO)2Si(OH)2, can be observed. The number of silanol groups/nm2, ?OH, as determined by NMR, varies between 2.5 and 3.0 depending on the template-removal methods. All these silanol groups were found to be the active sites for adsorption of pyridine with desorption energies of 91.4 and 52.2 kJ mol-1, respectively. However, only free silanol groups (involving single and geminal silanols) are highly accessible to the silylating agent, chlorotrimethylsilane. Silylation can modify both the physical and chemical properties of MCM-41.

Outcomes of the Chemistry Discipline Network Mapping Exercises: Are the Threshold Learning Outcomes met?

The Chemistry Discipline Network has recently completed two distinct mapping exercises. The first is a snapshot of chemistry taught at 12 institutions around Australia in 2011. There were many similarities but also important differences in the content taught and assessed at different institutions. There were also significant differences in delivery, particularly laboratory contact hours, as well as forms and weightings of assessment. The second mapping exercise mapped the chemistry degrees at three institutions to the Threshold Learning Outcomes for chemistry. Importantly, some of the TLOs were addressed by multiple units at all institutions, while others were not met, or were met at an introductory level only. The exercise also exposed some challenges in using the TLOs as currently written.

Controls on mid-Holocene fringing reef growth and termination in a high latitude, estuarine setting, Wellington Point, Southeast Queensland

Several fringing coral reefs in Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland, some 300 km south of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), are set in a relatively high latitude, estuarine environment that is considered marginal for coral growth. Previous work indicated that these marginal reefs, as with many fringing reefs of the inner GBR, ceased accreting in the mid-Holocene. This research presents for the first time data from the subsurface profile of the mid-Holocene fossil reef at Wellington Point comprising U/Th dates of in situ and framework corals, and trace element analysis from the age constrained carbonate fragments. Based on trace element proxies the palaeo-water quality during reef accretion was reconstructed. Results demonstrate that the reef initiated more than 7,000 yr BP during the post glacial transgression, and the initiation progressed to the west as sea level rose. In situ micro-atolls indicate that sea level was at least 1 m above present mean sea level by 6,680 years ago. The reef remained in "catch-up" mode, with a seaward sloping upper surface, until it stopped aggrading abruptly at ca 6,000 yr BP; no lateral progradation occurred. Changes in sediment composition encountered in the cores suggest that after the laterite substrate was covered by the reef, most of the sediment was produced by the carbonate factory with minimal terrigenous influence. Rare earth element, Y and Ba proxies indicate that water quality during reef accretion was similar to oceanic waters, considered suitable for coral growth. A slight decline in water quality on the basis of increased Ba in the later stages of growth may be related to increased riverine input and partial closing up of the bay due to either tidal delta progradation, climatic change and/or slight sea level fall. The age data suggest that termination of reef growth coincided with a slight lowering of sea level, activation of ENSO and consequent increase in seasonality, lowering of temperatures and the constrictions to oceanic flushing. At the cessation of reef accretion the environmental conditions in the western Moreton Bay were changing from open marine to estuarine. The living coral community appears to be similar to the fossil community, but without the branching Acropora spp. that were more common in the fossil reef. In this marginal setting coral growth periods do not always correspond to periods of reef accretion due to insufficient coral abundance. Due to several environmental constraints modern coral growth is insufficient for reef growth. Based on these findings Moreton Bay may be unsuitable as a long term coral refuge for most species currently living in the GBR.

Reflections on chemistry sessions at the 2012 Healthy Buildings Conference

Scores of well-researched individual papers and posters specifically or indirectly addressing the occurrence, measurement or exposure impacts of chemicals in buildings were presented at 2012 Healthy Buildings Conference. Many of these presentations offered advances in sampling and characterisation of chemical pollutants while others extended the frontiers of knowledge on the emission, adsorption, risk, fate and compositional levels of chemicals in indoor and outdoor microenvironments. Several modelled or monitored indoor chemistry, including processes that generated secondary pollutants. This article provides an overview of the state of knowledge on healthy buildings based on papers presented in chemistry sessions at Healthy Buildings 2012 (HB2012) Conference. It also suggests future directions in healthy buildings research.

'In the Room' and 'School Chemistry Class'

Two poems in journal Axon. 2013 Issue 4.

Scientific visualisations for developing students’ understanding of concepts in chemistry : some findings and some lessons learned

Scientific visualisations such as computer-based animations and simulations are increasingly a feature of high school science instruction. Visualisations are adopted enthusiastically by teachers and embraced by students, and there is good evidence that they are popular and well received. There is limited evidence, however, of how effective they are in enabling students to learn key scientific concepts. This paper reports the results of a quantitative study conducted in Australian chemistry classrooms. The visualisations chosen were from free online sources, intended to model the ways in which classroom teachers use visualisations, but were found to have serious flaws for conceptual learning. There were also challenges in the degree of interactivity available to students using the visualisations. Within these limitations, no significant difference was found for teaching with and without these visualisations. Further study using better designed visualisations and with explicit attention to the pedagogy surrounding the visualisations will be required to gather high quality evidence of the effectiveness of visualisations for conceptual development.

Gas-Phase Transformation of Phosphatidylcholine Cations to Structurally Informative Anions via Ion/Ion Chemistry

Gas-phase transformation of synthetic phosphatidylcholine (PC) monocations to structurally informative anions is demonstrated via ion/ion reactions with doubly deprotonated 1,4-phenylenedipropionic acid (PDPA). Two synthetic PC isomers, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PC16:0/18:1) and 1-oleoyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PC18:1/16:0), were subjected to this ion/ion chemistry. The product of the ion/ion reaction is a negatively charged complex, \[PC + PDPA - H](-). Collisional activation of the long-lived complex causes transfer of a proton and methyl cation to PDPA, generating \[PC - CH3](-). Subsequent collisional activation of the demethylated PC anions produces abundant fatty acid carboxylate anions and low-abundance acyl neutral losses as free acids and ketenes. Product ion spectra of \[PC - CH3](-) suggest favorable cleavage at the sn-2 position over the sn-1 due to distinct differences in the relative abundances. In contrast, collisional activation of PC cations is absent of abundant fatty acid chain-related product ions and typically indicates only the lipid class via formation of the phosphocholine cation. A solution phase method to produce the gas-phase adducted PC anion is also demonstrated. Product ion spectra derived from the solution phase method are similar to the results generated via ion/ion chemistry. This work demonstrates a gas-phase means to increase structural characterization of phosphatidylcholines via ion/ion chemistry. Grant Number ARC/CE0561607, ARC/DP120102922

Enrichment, distribution and sources of heavy metals in the sediments of Deception Bay, Queensland, Australia

Sediment samples from 13 sampling sites in Deception Bay, Australia were analysed for the presence of heavy metals. Enrichment factors, modified contamination indices and Nemerow pollution indices were calculated for each sampling site to determine sediment quality. The results indicate significant pollution of most sites by lead (average enrichment factor (EF) of 13), but there is also enrichment of arsenic (average EF 2.3), zinc (average EF 2.7) and other heavy metals. The modified degree of contamination indices (average 1.0) suggests that there is little contamination. By contrast, the Nemerow pollution index (average 5.8) suggests that Deception Bay is heavily contaminated. Cluster analysis was undertaken to identify groups of elements. Strong correlation between some elements and two distinct clusters of sampling sites based on sediment type was evident. These results have implications for pollution in complex marine environments where there is significant influx of sand and sediment into an estuarine environment.