Biochemistry is a branch subject of chemistry, which is the study of chemical structures and processes associated with living organisms. COVID-19 pandemic is a problem for human beings. From the perspective of biochemistry, this paper demonstrates the chemical structure and interactions of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein and its receptor (human angiotensin converting enzyme 2), and summarizes the related research progresses. The authors hope to provide insights for the development of COVID-19 vaccine.
A good way to understand the complex structures and mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 is from the perspective of chemistry. The basic components, structures, and replication processes of SARS-CoV-2 are described in a firstperson perspective to elucidate the essential role of intermolecular forces in living organisms.
Virology is a basic biological science which takes virus as the research object. By introducing the structure and detection technology of virus, especially the structure and function of SARS-CoV-2 in the course of Analytical Chemistry, students can understand the role of chemistry in the development of virology. At the same time, the introduction of relevant knowledge can create meaningful learning experience; it can also be combined with course ideology and politics, so that students can realize the importance of basic concepts in Analytical Chemistry, value orientation of Analytical Chemistry, and the importance of interdisciplinarity.
Abundant basic pharmaceutical knowledge is involved in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and the discovery and development of antiviral drugs. This paper gives detailed summary and provides rich materials for case teaching.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant losses to the global community. The pathogen, called SARSCoV-2, showed high infection rate and certain case-fatality rate, which bring great challenges to treatments. Vaccination is the major way for epidemic prevention which attracts several developers to conduct COVID-19 vaccine studies. This paper presents the design principle of a COVID-19 vaccine and summarizes the latest research progress on vaccine development. The authors hope to provide insights for understanding vaccine study of COVID-19.
Antiviral drug is a powerful weapon for humans to defeat the virus. The spread of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) outbreak has a serious impact on the world. At the same time, it also makes people aware of the importance of antiviral drug development. This article reviews the application of the phosphoramidate prodrug strategy and the application of ProTide technology in the development of antiviral drugs. The synthesis methods of nucleoside-phosphoramidate prodrugs are introduced. The application of nucleoside-phosphoramidate in different antiviral drugs is also summarized. This review can provide a reference for the development of new antiviral drugs in the future.
The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis, and potential drugs have attracted widespread attentions. The authors attempted to use the known potential drugs as teaching cases throughout the whole teaching process of heterocyclic chemistry. Under the special pandemic situation, the authors also focused on exploring and utilizing the ideological and political education cases that were related to pandemic as well as potential drugs of COVID-19. The ultimate purpose was to strengthen the effects on both knowledge teaching and value guiding, and thus improve the curriculum system construction. The reform of heterocyclic chemistry classroom teaching via case methods could build a bridge between "theoretical knowledge-heterocyclic chemistry" and "real world-drug application", which effectively aroused students' enthusiasm as well as initiative for learning, and thus significantly improved the teaching effects.
During the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia, 84 Disinfectant has been widely used. It is very important to determine the available chlorine content in 84 Disinfectant. A new method to rapidly determine the available chlorine content in 84 Disinfectant by automatic potentiometric titration was established. Statistically, there is no significant difference in results between automatic potentiometric titration and manual titration. Combined the principles of analytical chemistry and the application to the determination of anti-epidemic material, this experiment has theoretical and practical significance, and can be used as an experiment in analytical chemistry laboratory for sophomore students.
Gemini surfactants contain two hydrophilic and two hydrophobic groups connected by a linkage close to the hydrophilic groups. Gemini surfactants have lower critical micelle concentration, higher surface activity, greater efficiency in decreasing the surface tension of water and the interfacial tension between water and oil, and better water solubility than conventional surfactants. Gemini surfactants are widely used as sterilizing, bacteriostatic, anti-foaming, and drug release agents in various enterprises including food production and industrial cleaning. They, therefore, play a very important social, economic, and industrial role. This paper briefly summarizes gemini surfactant development, structure, self-assembly, activity, classification, and characteristics, as well as focuses on the antibacterial mechanisms of these compounds. It is expected that the antibacterial properties of gemini surfactants may help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
Through the introduction of several kinds of polymer materials which play an important role in COVID-19 epidemic prevention, the basic knowledge of the related polymers is popularized. In particular, the unique long-chain structure and excellent properties different from small molecular materials, including light weight, flexibility, easiness in processing, easy regulation of properties, are introduced.
Polymeric materials played an important role in the battle against novel corona virus epidemic. These materials can be seen everywhere not only from the conventional protective masks to professional protective equipment, but also from the expensive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to the rapid construction of the Huoshenshan and Leishenshan Hospital. In this paper, the synthesis, processing and manufacture of these polymeric materials are introduced from the viewpoint of polymer chemistry, polymer physics and polymer processing, with emphasis on the important role of these materials in the battle against the COVID-19 epidemic.
COVID-19 has become a worldwide epidemic disease. In this nationwide battle against the novel coronavirus, polymer materials are playing important roles in personal protection, medical supplies, and construction consumables. This article introduces the preparation principle of polymer materials involved in scientific epidemic prevention, and integrates them to polymer chemistry course, so that students can combine them with practical life to deepen their understanding of polymer chemistry.
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has enabled scientists around the world to work on the areas such as prevention of virus spread, virus inactivation, and vaccine preparation. Based on the development of nanotechnology, the emergence of some nanomaterials provides some excellent solutions to overcome the virus pandemic: by spraying nano-coating, the masks and protective clothing in medical institutions can be self-sterilized; by adding nano-adjuvants, vaccines can produce stronger responses to antigen of lower doses; by wrapping with nanocarriers, drugs can escape the monitoring of the immune system so as to obtain better antiviral effects. The unique chemical properties of some nanomaterials indicate the broad prospects in future applications. In conclusion, nanomaterials will play an important role in combating COVID-19 and the future anti-viral pandemics.
This paper briefly introduced the classification of disposal face masks, and the composition and structure of key protective layer, in addition to its protection principle. The feasibility of reuse and disinfection of the disposable face masks with several common medical methods is discussed based on the physical structure and chemical composition of meltblown, the main protective layer, in addition to biochemical characteristics of new coronavirus.
The global spread of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) makes face masks become common protective equipment for daily life. This paper introduces the protection mechanism of disposable medical face masks, and investigates the changes of microstructure and filtration efficiency of disposable medical face masks after use and disinfection. It is helpful to get more understanding about protective effect of face masks.
As the break out of COVID-19 epidemic, the prevention and control work was consequently carried out. Chemistry plays an important role in the white war. The structure of mask contains the knowledge of interfacial chemistry. The material of mask encompasses the knowledge of polymer chemistry. Nucleic acid test and COVID-19 vaccine research need the knowledge of biological chemistry. The sanitizers involve the knowledge of inorganic and organic chemistry. The knowledge of physical chemistry takes effect in daily hand washing with soap. Each drug against COVID-19 virus was a complex organic compound. All the above things can be taken as appropriate examples in chemistry teaching to display the charm of chemistry. Meanwhile, these examples help students to realize that chemistry works as a vital part in our lives and therefore active their motivation to study chemistry well.
Considering COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control, education materials were excavated and refined, such as chemical disinfectants, typical drugs used in clinical treatment or trial and materials for preparation of medical protective equipment. We have carried out thematic teaching on "The important role of chemistry in the fight against COVID-19 epidemic", and integrated ideological and political education into the thematic teaching. Through thematic teaching, we can make students feel the charm of chemistry subject, stimulate students' interest in learning chemistry, fully mobilize students' learning enthusiasm and initiative, strengthen students' confidence and courage to overcome difficulties, cultivate the students' professional disciplines literacy and scientific literacy, activate students' love for the motherland, the people and the Communist Party of China.
The 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to two female scientists, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, to recognize their seminal contribution to the invention of CRISPR technology for genome editing. CRISPR system enables new generation of gene editing through RNA-based recognition of double-stranded DNA. Empowered by its high efficiency, accuracy and programmability, CRISPR technology has revolutionized modern biology, and has been widely applied in basic research, gene therapy, animal and plant breeding. Here, we briefly introduce the discovery of CRISPR system and the scientific stories behind, and discuss the on-going development and future directions of many gene-editing related technologies.
Instrumental analysis is the eyes of all research fields. The instrumental analysis course is one of the main courses of university chemistry, and the learning of instrumental analysis course is related to the final output of all chemical disciplines. As an important part of effective teaching and learning, the assessment and feedback can not only evaluate the efficiency, but also guide how to improve teaching and learning. At present, the teaching and learning efficiency of instrumental analysis course is mainly evaluated by homework, classroom quizzes, mid-term and final exam results. The current assessment of instrumental analysis course has the problems of limited forms, the delayed feedback, and the poor interaction of "teaching" and "learning". This paper briefly introduces the reform and practice of effective assessment and feedback in instrumental analysis teaching of Boling class of Nankai University, mainly including three aspects: (1) strengthen the process feedback and let students summarize the points and rules; (2) let students become the center of effective assessment; and (3) carry out the item evaluation of literature reading.
It is a powerful tool of talent development to reinforce the nation's power. For educating comprehensive talents, teaching of chemistry laboratory for undergraduate is of great significance. In the light of college chemistry experiment, we propose a teaching mode named "3 factors & 1 choice", that is teaching in accordance with majors, teaching in accordance with local condition, teaching in accordance with general trends, and optional experiments. It aims to combine the characteristics of each major with specific experiments, to enhance students' conscious activity, and to strengthen students' creative thought and practical innovation ability.
The imbalance between teaching and learning, because of individual difference and the simplicity of teaching, can lead to interest losing on study, which will hinder the further learning. Here, based on the course content, certain scientific software are introduced in chemical laboratory lesson before and after class, thus, students can understand the experimental phenomena with the assistant of this teaching approach. Then laboratory lesson is connected with theory lessons to demonstrate the compounds they synthesized during experiment through a scientific software. The design helps the students understand the role of the software in judging and solving scientific issues. At last, the teaching practice is summarized and reconsidered to point out the essentials in the designing process.
Chemical thermodynamics and kinetics are the important contents in the course of inorganic chemistry and physical chemistry, but this part of knowledge is difficult to understand. We tried to integrate the computational simulation with the knowledge of chemical thermodynamics and dynamics in order to help students understand the knowledge. In the class, we demonstrated students with the chemical thermodynamics and kinetics process of formaldehyde dissociation reaction, so as to make the abstract knowledge intuitive and visual. According to the students' feedback, we found that the enthusiasm and participation of the students in the subsequent class have been greatly improved.
In the university, analytical chemistry is an important basic course for junior college students. There is a variety of dialectical views, rules, and relationships of materialism in analytical chemistry. Fully excavating these dialectical elements and infiltrating them into the classroom teaching process is necessary. This will not only help students deeply understand the subject knowledge, but also cultivate their dialectical thinking mode, establish the correct worldview and scientific methodology. This is conducive to the same resonance frequency between knowledge education and thinking education, and fits the current course ideological and political education. In the present paper, combining many years of teaching practice, the author briefly explains the integration of dialectical elements in analytical chemistry with the corresponding teaching content.
According to the latest requirements of engineering education professional certification of chemical engineering and technology specialty on organic chemistry laboratory, current situation and problems of organic chemistry laboratory in Jianghan University are discussed from the perspective of teaching mode, teaching content, teachers and students. This paper has explored the blended teaching mode combining the online teaching with the traditional teaching. This teaching mode is successfully applied to the course of organic chemistry laboratory. It has been proved that this teaching mode improved the teaching quality, enhanced the classroom efficiency, achieved the teaching objectives, as well as met the requirements in the engineering education professional certification.
In this paper, based on learning situation of agricultural inorganic and analytical chemistry course, a questionnaire survey was conducted among some freshman students in related majors. The results show that the students have minimal interests in the study of this public basic course, lacking learning motivation and flexible study methods. Thus, they need training in learning methods. We also suggest the corresponding solutions to the existing problems above, and explore how to cultivate students' autonomous learning ability by choosing the corresponding teaching and learning modes.
In this paper, the PAD (presentation, assimilation, discussion) teaching method was applied in the courses of "green chemistry" and "material chemistry" for postgraduates and perfect teaching effect was achieved. In this teaching reform, it was found that topic selection is very important for the effective discussion. This paper analyzes by examples and discusses in detail the various factors impacting the teaching effect in the "discussion" process. The application of PAD teaching method in postgraduates' courses is helpful for developing critical thinking and independent scientific research ability, and is also beneficial to the postgraduates' research and development in the future.
Taking the enantiotopic chapter of organic chemistry as an example, this paper explores the teaching reform to form the ability and habit of lifelong learning by improving students' dominant position in learning and to guide undergraduates to cultivate the right achievement motivation. It also tries to provide useful references for the teaching of specialized courses in colleges and universities.
In response to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on organic chemistry laboratory teaching, this article analyzes and discusses the current limitation of traditional organic chemistry laboratory teaching. Taking the "preparation of n-bromobutane" as an example, a new "online-offline and virtual-actual combination" teaching mode with the combination of "Tencent Meeting, MLabs, laboratory and WeChat group" is introduced. The practice of the new mode of teaching includes the following steps: pre-class online guiding by teacher, student preview and practice based on the virtual simulation platform, students and teacher discussion and operation in laboratory, and post-classcomprehensive assessment and Q&A", and good teaching effects have been received. It is significant in cultivating and improving the independent innovation and practical ability, and provides reference for the organic chemistry laboratory teaching reform and also lays a foundation for the construction of "outstanding course" of organic chemistry.
The Sino-foreign educational cooperation program is one of the important forms of higher education in China. The innovation and exploration of teaching modes and methods were carried out to tackle problems in teaching inorganic and analytical chemistry laboratory at Beijing University of Chemical Technology. These problems can be found in logical thinking, combining basic theory with practice, and software used in treatment of experimental data. The teaching reform was carried out on the aspects of improving students' innovative consciousness, combining theory with the experiment, integrating ideological and political education into classroom, application of software in experimental data treatment, which will improve the subjective initiative and problem-solving ability of students in learning inorganic and analytical chemistry laboratories. It will lay a solid foundation for the students of international bioengineering class to successfully connect with foreign follow-up courses in the future.
With the shortage of fossil energy and increasing environmental pollution, nuclear energy has received extensive attention by its virtue of high energy density and low emission of greenhouse gases. However, radioactive nuclear waste remains a serious task for its safe and effective disposal due to their harmful effects on human health and the environment. As a new type of multifunctional nanomaterial, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are synthesized via the self-assembling combination of inorganic metals and organic ligands. Compared with traditional porous materials, MOFs have broad application prospects in the adsorption and detection of radioactive ions. In this paper, we reviewed the functional modification strategies of MOFs and summarized the progress in the applications of functionalized MOFs in removal and fluorescence sensing of contaminated ions in recent years. Besides, the future development trends are also discussed.
Since the first successful chemical synthesis of graphdiyne by the group of Prof. Yuliang Li, this material is attracting much attention and becoming a new research focus and field. As a new carbon allotrope, graphdiyne has a unique three-dimensional pore structure and electronic structure, thus, can be applied in energy storage devices and the fields of catalyst. This article briefly describes theoretical calculation prediction and development of the new material, in particular, its electrochemical property and catalytic property. Introducing this new carbon material into the related teaching of chemistry knowledge of university can expand the academic vision of scientific research and improve the learning interest and scientific research literacy of the undergraduates.
In this experiment, carbon dots were prepared by hydrothermal method with citric acid as raw material. The colorimetric detection of Mn2+ was realized via the catalytic oxidation discoloration of Mn2+ to 3, 3', 5, 5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the mixed system of carbon dots and TMB. Selectivity and sensitivity of the detection were studied by UV-Vis absorption spectrum. This comprehensive experiment covers the preparation and characterization of nanomaterials and the analysis and detection to important substances. It not only exercises students' comprehensive ability to use knowledge and experimental skills, but also helps to broaden students' academic vision.
This comprehensive experiment has successfully introduced the frontier of scientific research into undergraduate laboratory teaching. A magnetic Co/C nanocomposite was synthesized by using ZIF-67 as the precursor. Upon calcination at high temperature in inert atmosphere, ZIF-67 was degraded and carbonized to form Co/C nanocomposite. The adsorption performance of Co/C nanocomposite for Congo Red was investigated in detail. The structure and composition of the nanocomposite were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The concentration of Congo Red was determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The kinetics data was fitted with the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The adsorption isotherms were analyzed according to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. This experiment covers the synthesis of inorganic-organic hybrid material, characterization of materials, concentration determination of dyes, analysis of dynamics data and adsorption isotherms. Therefore, this experiment enables students to practice their experimental skills, increase their interest in scientific research, and broaden their professional knowledge.
This paper introduces an experiment about waste liquid recovery and effect evaluation in laboratory. Through this experiment, the basic operations of crystal preparation, chemical analysis and instrumental analysis are further consolidated. At the same time, it allows students to experience a series of possible problems of condition selection and control in the process of waste liquid treatment. We hope to improve the students' ability to analyze and solve problems, enhance their interest in learning, and strengthen their humanistic education.
Fluorescent diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivative was synthesized by coupling reaction, nucleophilic substitution reaction and Suzuki reaction, which was fully characterized by NMR spectroscopy and HRMS. Furthermore, the DPP derivative showed high fluorescence quantum yields of 88.4% and 78.9% in solvent and solid states.
The paper discusses how to reduce the cost of scientific research and the operation cost of valuable instruments in the laboratory teaching center of universities, while assuring accurate data acquisition during teaching. The paper expounds the relationship and importance of main factors in the data economy, such as Instrument manager, student, valuable instruments, and rules and regulations. Furthermore, some improvement suggestions are proposed.
In order to improve university laboratory teaching and practical education under the background of information technology, as well as overcome the difficulty for practical training, develop a virtual simulation experiment platform for rapid pyrolysis of natal materials and high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) detection of its components. The experiment integrates the actual operation process of the plant to produce cleaved products by rapid pyrolysis of biomass with HPLC detection. The virtual experiment is divided into biomass sample pretreatment, rapid biomass pyrolysis, bio-oil extraction, and HPLC determination of complex components, making the biomass cleavage workshop "real" through simulation. This virtual simulation experiment fully integrates the utilization of biomass resources and basic chemistry courses (such as organic chemistry, instrumental analysis, chemical engineering principles, etc.), which are widely involved in agricultural and forestry majors with advantageous characteristics value.
Understanding redox reactions in reaction of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+) requires a clear grasp of the textbook content. The reactions in nicotinamide coenzymes with reduced and oxidized forms have been compared in various biochemistry textbooks. Incorrect interpretations usually emphasize the valence changes that at nitrogen in the pyridine ring of a nicotinamide from +5 to +3. Actually, the valence of nitrogen in pyridine ring is -3. We have gathered shreds of evidences and provide here possible suggestions and caution for readers and instructors.
The common points of absorption and heat transfer were found by comparison of the assumptions and transfer model. Furthermore, the computational formula and graphs of the number and the length of a transfer unit were deduced in the countercurrent heat transfer through learning from the treatment method of absorption. Based on the study, the basic analysis methodology for qualitative analysis of operational heat transfer problems was proposed. The connection between mass transfer and heat transfer was established through the comparison, so that they were no longer random knowledge points, which was beneficial for students to understand and master principles of chemical engineering.
Oxygen preparation by potassium chlorate and manganese dioxide is one of the most classical laboratory method. Few study has been made so far on its origination and establishment. Through checking the original roles of potassium chlorate and manganese dioxide, it is found that manganese dioxide was ever first selected as raw material for making oxygen, then led the discovery of chlorine by Scheele and potassium chlorate by Berthollet. Potassium chlorate itself was also ever used for oxygen preparation at a high temperature. In 1832, manganese dioxide was firstly mixed with potassium chlorate for oxygen by Döbereiner and reduces the temperature dramatically. With more following studies, the classic method of oxygen preparation via the two materials was finally established.