Fragment-Based Ligand Discovery Using Protein-Observed 19F NMR: A Second Semester Organic Chemistry CURE Project

Length of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) impacts student learning and attitudinal outcomes: A study of the Malate dehydrogenase CUREs Community (MCC)

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are laboratory courses that integrate broadly relevant problems, discovery, use of the scientific process, collaboration, and iteration to provide more students with research experiences than is possible in individually mentored faculty laboratories. Members of the national Malate dehydrogenase CUREs Community (MCC) investigated the differences in student impacts between traditional laboratory courses (control), a short module CURE within traditional laboratory courses (mCURE), and CUREs lasting the entire course (cCURE). The sample included approximately 1,500 students taught by 22 faculty at 19 institutions. We investigated course structures for elements of a CURE and student outcomes including student knowledge, student learning, student attitudes, interest in future research, overall experience, future GPA, and retention in STEM. We also disaggregated the data to investigate whether underrepresented minority (URM) outcomes were different from White and Asian students. We found that the less time students spent in the CURE the less the course was reported to contain experiences indicative of a CURE. The cCURE imparted the largest impacts for experimental design, career interests, and plans to conduct future research, while the remaining outcomes were similar between the three conditions. The mCURE student outcomes were similar to control courses for most outcomes measured in this study. However, for experimental design, the mCURE was not significantly different than either the control or cCURE. Comparing URM and White/Asian student outcomes indicated no difference for condition, except for interest in future research. Notably, the URM students in the mCURE condition had significantly higher interest in conducting research in the future than White/Asian students.

Targeted F 19 - tags to detect amino acids in complex mixtures using NMR spectroscopy

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of fluorine-19 nucleus ( F 19 -NMR) emerges as a powerful tool because of the high sensitivity due to its high natural abundance, broad spectral range, and the simplicity of a spin-half system. However, it is still seldom utilized in the chemistry classroom or research. This article thus aims to demonstrate the power of NMR by investigating the kinetics when a F 19 - tag reacts with individual amino acids (AA) and eventually utilizing the approach to identify and quantify various AAs from a complex mixture such as a metabolomics sample. The F 19 - tag named 2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl-2-(trifluoromethyl)benzoate was synthesized following a previously established method. The reaction kinetics of the tag was then continuously measured using F 19 NMR in the presence of selected AAs. The estimated reaction rate constants to form the F 19 - tags with each AA differ, which could be used as an identification tool. The tag formations were typically completed in 24-48 h in water for all the samples. These demonstrations suggest that F 19 - tags could form the basis for chemical kinetics and AA detection using F 19 -NMR.