Educationally and Practically Beneficial Enzymatic Organic Chemistry Lab Experiments

Educationally and Practically Beneficial Enzymatic Organic Chemistry Lab Experiments

Poster - Theoretical Proposal

Organic Chemistry laboratories serve to introduce students to a variety of procedures, topics, and reactions that are representative of the fields students are pursuing. Whereas the lecture material for the class is systematized according to national standards, the lab section provides flexibility in which the professors choose which experiments they deem best prepare their students. For premedical students, introduction to enzymatic reactions in a lab setting would instill greater understanding and appreciation of their use. This research analyzes the current scientific and educational literature and proposes enzymatic reactions that could be employed in an Organic Chemistry laboratory class at Liberty University. Prospective experiments were taken from the Journal of Chemical Education and Journal of the American Chemical Society (Au). Experiments were evaluated by a number of criteria. The length, cost, and toxicity of the experiments were evaluated to ensure they could be performed within the given time frame and budget with safety. Experiments were also evaluated based on the relevance of laboratory processes used such as thin layer chromatography and infrared spectroscopy, as well as the connection of the reaction mechanisms to those learned in the Organic Chemistry lecture. The two most applicable experiments were proposed. The desired outcome is that the proposed experiments will be considered by the faculty of the Liberty University School of Health Sciences and implemented into the curriculum.