Calcium is a kind of alkaline earth metal element which is closely related to human beings. Calcium has active chemical properties and many compounds. It is an element which is applied in all aspects of life, science, and technology. This paper introduces the discovery, preparation and physicochemical properties of calcium, focusing on the application and importance of calcium and its compounds in the field of construction and human health.

On the basis of rapid development of arsenic chemistry, three typical allotropes of arsenic element of gray arsenic, black arsenic and yellow arsenic have been systematically summarized in the aspects of preparation, structure, chemical property and application. Furthermore, some recently discovered allotropes of arsenic element have been briefly introduced. This article shows a chemistry overview of arsenic element that will provide abundant materials for both teaching and research.

Under the construction background of “double first-class”, how to cultivate interdisciplinary talents through curriculum implementation has become the goal of first-class undergraduate talent training. In this paper, takes the course of chemistry and archaeology as an example to summarize the experience and methods of the construction of the interdisciplinary general elective course, in particular, this course makes students exposed to different interdisciplinary literacy form rely on interdisciplinary content, so as to help train interdisciplinary talents with comprehensive innovative ability. Therefore, the practical exploration of this course can provide experience for the construction of general elective courses of interdisciplinary integration.

The SPOC (small private online course) of engineering chemistry for the majors of civil engineering, with 1.5 credits has been constructed by teaching group of engineering chemistry in Hexi University. This SPOC equipped with 11 assignments to enforce the learning effect of students contains micro-videos of 44 knowledge points, elaborating the chemical composition and aggregation state of substances, chemical reaction and energy, chemistry in aqueous solution, and chemical knowledge in non-chemical production. The course has been online on Chaoxing Learning platform for the teaching task. The teaching practice of three classes in Hexi University shows that the blended learning mode, which combines online micro-videos learning, assignments, and online questions answering, not only plays a student-centered learning role, but also achieves good teaching effect.

By combining MOOC platform, WeChat Official Accounts and Chaoxing Learning APP, blended teaching based on progressive group tasks can be achieved. Based on various information technologies, progressive group tasks are arranged in different teaching process, from easy to difficult, from simple to complex, to carry out effective blended teaching. Teachers can optimize teaching design through multiple feedbacks of students' learning activities, and promote meaningful teaching and learning through multiple teacher-student interactions. Through inquiring and cooperation in group activities, students can improve learning ability. The teaching effects of different teaching modes are compared and the result shows that the progressive group tasks can improve students' learning will and improve teaching quality.

“Transfer phenomenon” is one of the most important curriculums for chemical engineering undergraduates and postgraduates around the world. The principles of “Three Transfers” based on Navier-Stokes equations have been widely applied in teaching and engineering fields. In this paper, the laws of momentum conservation and angular momentum conservation were systematically formularized and Navier-Stokes equations were developed by skillfully using the synthesis and decomposition of forces, the geometric relationships between stresses and deformations, as well as the origin of pressures. The theoretical essences of Navier-Stokes equations were further explored in the derivation process. The strict theoretical formula applied in “Transfer Phenomenon” courses have improved the teaching effects and stimulated students' enthusiasm for engineering research.

Calculation of ion transference number by Hittorf method is important and difficult in physical chemistry teaching. It is also one of the most frequently-asked questions by students in the practical teaching process of physical chemistry. Classic physical chemistry textbooks only provide one or two related examples without detailed steps on the calculation process by Hittorf method; therefore, students cannot really understand the essence of the concept and related calculation method. Here, we propose a new strategy for the calculation of ion transference number by Hittorf method. Finally, several examples are given for the demonstration of this new strategy. Through this new strategy, the calculation of ion transference number will be more convenient, faster and less error-prone, which could also help students understand the concept of ion transference number and increase their interests in learning physical chemistry.

The application examples of demonstration experiment in physical chemistry classroom teaching were elaborated,and suggestions on how to take maximum advantage of demonstration experiment were proposed. Demonstration experiment can enliven the classroom atmosphere and increase the interests of the undergraduates in physical chemistry classroom teaching. Thinking ability and innovative spirit of the undergraduate were cultivated during the process of demonstration experiment.

Using benzaldehyde and malononitrile as starting materials, N-(benzyloxy)-2-chloro-2-phenylacetamide was successfully obtained through a three-steps procedure including Knoevnagel condensation, epoxidation and epoxide ring opening reactions, and the product was characterized by IR and NMR. As a comprehensive organic experiment, the experimental content is quite closely related to the theoretical knowledge points. In combination with the IR and NMR spectroscopy analysis, this experiment improved students' capability of multi-step organic synthesis and spectroscopy analysis. And a good teaching effect could be achieved by the experiment.

This experiment introduces one of the subject focuses, catalytic asymmetric transformation, into experimental teaching. Through CBS reduction, chiral 1-phenylethanol is obtained in high yeild and ee value, using acetophenone as the raw material. The crude product is purified by preparative chromatograph, and the optical properties of the product are characterized by gas chromatography with chiral column and automatic polarimeter. Through this comprehensive experiment, students are supposed to understand the general principles of chiral alcohols synthesis, further study new technologies and new methods applied in recent academic research, in order to improve their ability of analyzing and solving problems and stimulate innovation.

In order to expand the horizons of senior undergraduates majoring in the energy chemical engineering and material science, we have designed the comprehensive experiment about the carbon derived from the biomass wastes as an anode material for lithium ion battery. The experiment includes the preparation of the biomass wastes carbon, the structure characterization, the preparation of the simulate cells and the electrochemical performances characterization. Through the operation in theexperiment, the use of the electrochemical workstation and the Land tester and the data processing, the students not only can consolidate their knowledge, but also develop their innovative thinking abilities and team spirit, and further improve their comprehensive accomplishments.

Starting from ethyl acetoacetate and methyl 5-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxylate, essramycin analogues with various derivable groups (such as hydrazide) were successfully prepared by functional group transformation and cyclization reaction. The experiment involves basic operations, such as heating reflux, vacuum desolvation, filtration and TLC detection, to train students' operational skills in the synthesis, purification and structural identification of organic compounds. Students were required to consult literature independently and master the use of ChemDraw and MestReC software to improve their ability to analyze and solve problems. The purpose of the experiment is to improve the comprehensive quality of undergraduates, which is suitable for students' comprehensive organic chemistry experiments.

In view of the problems existing in the integration of production and education in higher vocational colleges, the “three three combination” talent training mode is constructed. Through the combination of “enterprise guidance, industry guidance and school supervision”, the talent training mode is reformed; through the three combinations of “core curriculum, core problems and core competence”, the four teaching reforms of “teachers, teaching materials, teaching methods and teaching evaluation” are deepened; and through the combination of the “basic experiment, industry experiment and practice training”, the practical teaching system is optimized. The construction and implementation of this mode can improve the professional quality of students and the employment quality of graduates, create an excellent team of double qualified teachers, and provide a good reference for the deepening of “four teaching” reform in higher vocational colleges.

Fluorescent dye-diatomite composites were prepared based on adsorption process. Fluorescence properties of the composites were characterized by fluorescence spectrophotometer. According to the fluorescence spectra of the composites, latent fingerprints on various substrates were developed via selecting appropriate excitation lights and optical filters. Finally, integrating forensic science frontiers into chemical experiment teaching by utilizing the mechanism of fluorescence phenomena in fingerprint development would improve students' experiment skill, develop their scientific thinking and improve their innovation consciousness.

On the basis of the concept of the product engineering that concentrates on relationship between structure and function, we designed an experimental teaching of desulfurization and denitrogenation of polyethylene glycols (PEGs) via combining the experimental teaching with the concept of the product engineering. By experimental operation and computer-aided data processing, students were guided step by step to quantitatively describe the structure of PEGs and the function for extraction, to mathematically express the relationship between the structure and the function, and to optimally design the structure thereof. This would help the students understand the problems of predicting the function by the structure and optimizing the structure by the function. This experimental teaching that combined the concept of the product engineering not only expanded the teaching content, but also enabled students to master more knowledge and skills, kept in line with the direction of professional development, and thus achieved the purpose of promoting teaching.

Focusing on the knowledge point of transition state theory in graduate-level physical chemistry course, this paper aims to discuss its recent development from both experimental and theoretical researches, in order to stimulate the innovation interests, multiple thoughts, and research qualities of the students. Through case studies, we intent to materialize the content of knowledge, and improve the comprehensive ability and independent thinking ability of the students.

To change the traditional way of passive learning and effectively improve students' enthusiasm in learning organic chemistry, this paper introduces a game-based teaching mode based on Chirality-2 software platform, which is suitable foruniversity students to learn organic chemistry courses. Through game competition and students' autonomous learning, we can learn knowledge points, strengthen basic concepts, and finally improve students' learning efficiency and effect.

In this paper, the features along with the usages of various commonly used online learning platforms, such as Ding Talk, Tencent Meeting, Tencent Classroom, MOOC of China University and QQ group, were briefly introduced from the students' perspective. Based on the questionnaire survey conducted to undergraduates, it was found that the students' performance and attitude in online classes might not better than that in offline classes due to the lack of elementary textbooks and teacher-student interaction, poor network conditions, and some existing things students doing unrelated to the courses. Then we put forward some suggestions to teachers and students to improve online teaching efficiency.

“Activated molecule”is introduced in various related Chinese chemistry textbooks as a well-known scientific concept.While there is no such a concept in some classic foreign chemistry textbooks, which reveals difference and divergence in treatments of related concept in chemical reaction rate theory between the fields of chemical education at home and abroad.In this work, the concept of “activated molecule” is overviewed by reviewing key historic articles including its formation as well as the evolution during the development of chemical reaction rate theory.It points out that the concept of “activated molecule” has stepped down from the stage of chemical reaction rate theory. Therefore, the concept of “activated molecule” exhibits only historical value instead of scientific value in textbooks.

The derivation of the Michaelis-Menten equation is crucial in understanding enzyme kinetics and how the equation applies in scientific research. However, the college curriculums in many domestic and overseas institution lack the theoretical underpinnings on the derivation of the Michaelis-Menten equation. This manuscript presents a comprehensive review of the derivation of the Michaelis-Menten equation from the general equation for an enzymatic reaction, covering methods such as: the inverse method, the single reciprocal method, the direct implicit function method, the indirect response method, and the integration method to linearize the Michaelis-Menten equation. Furthermore, this manuscript discusses the application of derivatives to various scientific research situations, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of different derivatives from mathematical and enzymological perspectives. Finally, this manuscript proposes several solutions to the limitations and precautions in practical applications. We hope this topic will be resourceful to both instructors and students who are interested in scientific research in relevant field.

GUAN Shi-Zhi is a well-known inorganic chemist and chemistry educator in China. He had been engaged in higher education through his life. He is the founder of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Utopia University and one of the founders of the College of Chemistry at Jilin University. In addition, he also established the discipline of inorganic chemistry at Jilin University. This paper introduces GUAN Shi-Zhi's biography and his outstanding contributions to Chinese chemistry and chemical engineering education.