Quantitative Experimental Inquiry Highlighting Evidence-Based Reasoning and Disciplinary Understanding: Experiment of Ethanol Catalytic Oxidation
YANG Dong-Qing1*, XU Li-Juan2, SONG Xiao-Feng3, CAO Qi-Guang1, LU Peng1, XIE Guo-Li1
1. Beijing Polytechnic University, Beijing 100176, China; 2. BDA School of The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, Beijing 100176, China; 3. SUEZ Environmental Technology (Beijing) Company Limited, Beijing 100176, China
Abstract Qualitative and quantitative improvements were made to the breadth and depth of ethanol catalytic oxidation experiments. Through 50 repeated experiments, there was no unreasonable change in the mass of copper sheets before and after the reaction, and there were no copper ions in the products. The effect of copper catalytic oxidation of ethanol was quantitatively explored using an oxygen detection sensor, proving that copper was a catalyst for ethanol catalytic oxidation. By summarizing and comparing the properties of common metals and conducting exploratory experiments, we can understand the reasons for choosing copper as a catalyst. By exploring the experiments of copper catalyzed oxidation of primary alcohol, secondary alcohol and tertiary alcohol, we aim to understand the structural conditions under which alcohols undergo catalytic oxidation. Through three experiments, we have gained a deep understanding of the essence of ethanol catalytic oxidation and cultivated students’ core competencies in chemistry, including “evidence reasoning and model cognition” and “scientific exploration and innovation consciousness”.
YANG Dong-Qing, XU Li-Juan, SONG Xiao-Feng, CAO Qi-Guang, LU Peng, XIE Guo-Li. Quantitative Experimental Inquiry Highlighting Evidence-Based Reasoning and Disciplinary Understanding: Experiment of Ethanol Catalytic Oxidation[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2025, 46(21): 100-104.
