Essential oils are widely used in fragrances,cosmetics,pharmaceuticals,and personal care products,and their characteristic aromas originate from the synergistic interactions of diverse volatile organic compounds(VOCs).This article provides a chemical overview of the major constituent types of essential oils,with an emphasis on the relationships between molecular structure,aroma characteristics,volatility,and aroma layering.Common analytical techniques,including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS),nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),and infrared spectroscopy(IR),are introduced in the context of component identification and quality control.The fundamental mechanisms of aroma perception are briefly outlined from the perspective of olfactory receptor recognition.In addition,the paper discusses the widespread misconception that“natural means safe”from a chemical standpoint and briefly introduces recent advances in green synthesis and biotransformation toward sustainable fragrance production.Overall,this work aims to elucidate the chemical principles underlying essential-oil aromas and to promote a rational,scientific,and sustainable understanding of aroma-related products.

The content of instrumental analysis in higher education mainly centered on classical instrumental analysis methods,with limited introduction of cutting-edge analytical methods and latest application of analytical instrument.Primarily focusing on verification-based experiments fails to foster students’ innovative thinking and hands-on ability.In the summative assessment,the evaluation relies heavily on summative examinations of knowledge recall,rather than evaluating the ability to apply knowledge or solve real-world problems.Therefore,an integrated curriculum system of“Research Guidance-Teaching Innovation-Evaluation Reform-In-depth Practice”was designed to introduce the latest research findings into teaching cases,allowing the continuous content update.This course mode restructures summative assessments to evaluation of the knowledge application and problem-solving skills.Moreover,students are encouraged to participate in research projects and academic competitions,allowing them to master advanced instrumental analysis methods and promote innovative capacities.The emphasis of instrumental analysis course shifts from knowledge transmission to cultivating problem-solving ability and innovation,thereby cultivating professionals in analytical chemistry with both practical expertise and creative thinking.

Single-atom catalysis(SAC) is an original catalytic concept proposed by Chinese scientists,which has gained international recognition.SAC has become a strategic highland for both fundamental research and industrial applications in the field of catalysis.However,the current SAC knowledge system has not been systematically integrated into the catalysis teaching curriculum in higher education,resulting in a disconnect between teaching content and cutting-edge research.This gap makes it difficult to meet the demand for cultivating interdisciplinary and innovative talents.Guided by the construction of Emerging Engineering Education,this paper constructs a six-module knowledge framework covering the theoretical connotation,structural characteristics,preparation techniques,characterization methods,practical applications,and development trends of SAC.A three-dimensional cultivation objective of“knowledge-ability-literacy”is designed,and diversified teaching methods are adopted,including online-offline blended learning,problem-driven combined with multi-level combined teaching,project-based learning integrated with industry-university-research collaboration,and ideological and political education integration.These approaches realize the organic unity of knowledge imparting,ability cultivation,and value guidance.Verified by pilot application,this teaching system effectively fills the gap in atomic-scale catalysis teaching,significantly improves students’ cognition of cutting-edge technologies,cross-scale analysis ability,and engineering practice ability,and achieves a high degree of moral education objectives.It provides replicable and extensible practical references for curriculum innovation in catalysis disciplines.

In course teachings of physical chemistry,how to inspire student’s enthusiasm by a case of systematically utilizing its fundamental knowledge in scientific researches has been a long-standing topic in university education.Herein,with the scientific experiences of these authors in investigating the oxidative relationships of redox metal oxo and hydroxo moieties,we demonstrate a case of how to utilize the fundamental knowledge of thermodynamics and electrochemistry to evaluate their capability in hydrogen atom abstraction,next experimentally how to utilize the fundamental knowledge of dynamics to obtain their kinetic rates and reaction transition state information,and finally elucidate their similarities and differences in hydrogen atom abstraction reactivity.

The iodine clock reaction is a classic experiment in general chemistry for determining reaction rates and activation energy,yet the conventional batch method suffers from high reagent consumption and significant measurement errors.To address these limitations,this work designed a continuous-flow experimental platform where the distance required for the reaction mixture to turn blue in a transparent flow tube is measured and used to calculate kinetic parameters such as the rate constant and activation energy.To overcome the subjectivity of visual endpoint detection,smartphone-based colorimetry and a fiber-optic spectrophotometer were introduced,improving detection sensitivity and accuracy and reducing the error in activation energy measurements to below 2%.Compared with the traditional batch method,the continuous-flow platform not only mitigates the aforementioned drawbacks but also integrates multiple detection techniques,exposing students to advanced analytical methods and providing more comprehensive training in experimental skills and innovative thinking.

This study innovatively introduces“micro”experiments and other extended content into the general chemistry experiment course.Using the existing curriculum as a carrier,it focuses on specific minor aspects of the experimental process,deeply explores their teaching value,and effectively broadens students’ understanding and application of related knowledge points.By incorporating smartphone,entrepreneurship education concept,and interdisciplinary knowledge,along with diversified teaching methods such as in-class micro-experiments and post-class recommended readings,the study systematically investigates the practical pathways and implementation effects of extended content in specific experimental teaching.The research demonstrates that the original experimental content and the extended content complement each other,playing a significant role in stimulating students’ learning interests,cultivating scientific research literacy,and improving classroom teaching efficiency.The teaching method proposed in this study requires no additional class hours or experimental reagents,exhibits good universality and promotion value,and can provide useful references for the reform of general chemistry experiment teaching.

This paper explores the practical pathways and implementation outcomes of innovatively introducing circular dichroism(CD) spectroscopy,an advanced analytical technique,into undergraduate experimental teaching.Centered on amino acid chirality recognition and nucleic acid G-quadruplex conformation analysis,a systematic experimental teaching program based on CD spectroscopy was developed,thereby extending its application within undergraduate education.The curriculum begins with the CD response of amino acid enantiomers as a foundational concept,guiding students to understand the principles of chiral recognition before advancing to a progressive exploration of conformational changes of human telomeric DNA and VEGF promoter region G-quadruplexes induced by metal ions such as K⁺ and Na⁺.Through real-time spectral monitoring,the molecular mechanisms of G-quadruplexes in gene regulation and anti-tumor drug research are demonstrated.Teaching practice shows that this course not only effectively enhances students’ experimental skills and scientific thinking but also,through the integration of cutting-edge techniques and molecular biology,stimulates their interest in bioanalytical technologies,which fully demonstrates the innovative potential and application value of CD spectroscopy in undergraduate experimental teaching.

High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) is an important component of both theoretical and experimental courses in instrument analysis.Designing comprehensive experiments based on HPLC in conjunction with cutting-edge science is of great significance for improving students’ theoretical learning and experimental operations.Therefore,based on the research content of our research group,we designed a comprehensive experiment for the analysis of teaching instruments.The experiment combines sample pretreatment and HPLC analysis,including preparation of magnetic covalent organic framework materials,establishment of HPLC detection methods,and analysis of actual samples of sulfonamide drugs.The designed experiment improves students’ theoretical and experimental skills,expands their knowledge of scientific frontiers,and cultivates their ability to think critically and innovate.This experiment can provide reference for the design and teaching of similar instrument analysis experiments.

In response to the limitations of traditional instrumental analysis experimental teaching,which focuses on single instrument operation and verification experiments,a new teaching mode integrating virtual simulation experiments,real experiments,and Density Functional Theory(DFT) computationalsimulation has been designed.This mode systematically reformed the experiment titled“Analysis of the thermal degradation mechanism of benzoic acid using TG-IR coupled technology”.Students were guided to conduct virtual simulation experiments using a self-developed 3D virtual simulation system,perform real experiments with TG-IR coupled instruments to obtain data,and simultaneously employ DFT calculations to simulate the infrared spectra of reactants and potential intermediates,thereby exploring the thermal degradation mechanism of benzoic acid.This approach effectively integrates instrument operation,experimental phenomena,and theoretical explanations.Student feedback and comprehensive evaluations indicate that this mode significantly enhances students’ overall mastery of the technology and their learning autonomy.It facilitates a multi-level and comprehensive understanding of scientific problems,promotes the development of interdisciplinary thinking,and improves the ability to solve complex problems.This mode serves as a concrete example of the modernization of instrumental analysis experimental teaching and provides valuable experience for cultivating innovative talents by integrating information technology and computational science.

Under the background of digital and intelligent transformation,the inspection and testing industry is accelerating towards intelligence and automation,creating an urgent demand for high-level applied technical professionals.At present,there are still problems in integrated cultivation,such as unclear training objectives,obstructed curriculum connection,and a disconnect between teaching content and technological advancements.To address these challenges,the analytical testing technology major of Weifang Vocational College has developed an integrated cultivation system centered on the progressive enhancement of vocational competencies.The system relies on two programs:the“3+2”higher vocational-undergraduate integrated cultivation and the“three-two consecutive”secondary-higher vocational integrated cultivation.It has established a“four-party collaborative”education mechanism and formed the following components:“three-stage progressive”training objectives;an“integrated design,segmented connection,and digital-intelligent upgrading”curriculum system;an“industry-education integration and job-learning integration”teaching mode;a“process assessment+comprehensive test”evaluation system;and a continuous improvement feedback mechanism.

As frontier courses within the discipline of chemical engineering,Electrochemical Engineering courses play a critical role in supporting the development of emerging fields such as energy storage and hydrogen technologies,as well as cultivating interdisciplinary innovative talents with integrated science and engineering competencies.To address the key educational challenges such as abstract theory,strong interdisciplinarity,and the gap between theory and engineering practice,this study systematically explores curriculum reform and teaching practice based on a four-tier teaching framework driven by the integration of industry,academia,and research.A hierarchical instructional structure encompassing ideological education,research guidance,industrial cognition,and engineering application was established.In addition,innovative teaching approaches were implemented,including industry-academia-research collaborative training,case-based discussions,and experimental practice,thereby promoting the deep integration of theoretical learning with engineering practice.Teaching evaluation results demonstrate that this framework strengthens the communication between teachers and students,effectively fosters students’ innovative thinking and the capability of autonomous learning.This work provides valuable insights for curriculum innovation in Electrochemical Engineering and for the cultivation of high-level engineering talents.

The SOLO classification theory is applied to the evaluation of chemical engineering principles course design.An evaluation scale is constructed based on four dimensions:process scheme selection,core process calculation,equipment selection and hydrodynamic checking,and drawing design and specification compilation,in order to accurately assess students’ cognitive levels,logical thinking and engineering thinking.Research results show that students’ cognition exhibits a distribution characteristic of concentration in the middle and low levels at both ends,with main problems including incomplete design closure,insufficient industrial adaptability,and weak innovative transfer ability.Based on the evaluation results,improvement strategies are proposed from three aspects:teaching content restructuring,teaching resource construction,and learning activity design.This evaluation system effectively addresses the ambiguity in defining thinking levels in traditional evaluation and contributes to the improvement of students’ advanced engineering thinking.

This course is closely aligned with the“Three Characteristics”(high-level,innovative,and challenging) standards for“Golden Course”construction,and the“Six-in-One”research-oriented teaching mode has been established.Composed of six core modules,namely“anchoring of high-level teaching objectives,project-based reconstruction of teaching content,problem-driven teaching process,permeation of cutting-edge disciplinary advances,heuristic inquiry into teaching themes,and diversified evaluation of inquiry results”,the mode is implemented in the following manner:Firstly,high-level curriculum teaching objectives are anchored under the guidance of cultivating students’ core professional competencies.On this basis,the teaching content is reconstructed in a project-based manner,and students are driven to participate in-depth in the teaching process through chain-type problem design.At the same time,cutting-edge disciplinary knowledge is organically integrated into teaching cases,and challenging inquiry themes are set around teaching key points,so that in-depth student-student and student-teacher interactions are facilitated.Finally,the effectiveness of inquiry-based teaching is objectively measured through a diversified evaluation system.This mode has effectively achieved the synergistic improvement of students’ professional knowledge,abilities and literacy,and theoretical support and practical paradigms have been provided for the optimization of curriculum teaching quality.

Combined with our many years’ teaching practice of Engineering Chemistry at Zhejiang University and our research works in areas such as electrochemical energy storage and conversion,the teaching reform and exploration of Engineering Chemistry were carried out under the background of “dual carbon”.The chemical fundamentals and theories related to carbon peak and carbon neutralization were incorporated into the teaching of Engineering Chemistry,improving and enhancing the teaching of the chemical knowledge related to the“dual carbon”goals,such as electrochemistry,rechargeable batteries and hydrogen energy.The relevant exploratory experiments were also conducted.The latest revised“Fundamentals of Engineering Chemistry”textbook(the 4th edition) has added the chapters on the greenhouse effect and the“dual carbon”goals,as well as CO₂ capture,utilization and storage(CCUS).It is believed that such teaching reform and exploration can contribute to the cultivation of high-quality comprehensive talents for carbon peak and carbon neutralization.

Aiming at the core problems existing in current postgraduate professional courses,such as insufficient high-level and practical content and single evaluation dimension,this paper takes the course“Material Surfaces and Interfaces”as the practice carrier and proposes the“2+1”teaching mode.This mode changes the duration of 1 class hour to 3 class hours,adopting the organization form of“2 hours of theoretical teaching+1 hour of flexible empowerment”.It organically integrates theoretical teaching with practical teaching,case teaching,project/problem-oriented teaching and cutting-edge thematic seminars.Meanwhile,a multi-participant and multi-dimensional comprehensive evaluation system is constructed to comprehensively cultivate students’ academic literacy,practical ability and innovative potential,providing a replicable and extendable practical paradigm for the teaching reform of postgraduate professional courses.

This study deeply integrates machine learning algorithms with SHAP analysis.Using the screening of doping elements for aluminum-based lithium adsorbents as an example,it guides students through the complete machine learning workflow,fostering their ability to apply data science knowledge to solve materials design problems.A total of 59 students from East China University of Science and Technology(19 from the advanced class and 40 from the regular class) participated in the study.The advanced class demonstrated superior overall academic performance,while there was no significant difference in their mastery of foundational concepts.This simplified framework has been successfully implemented in a high school summer camp.This course design not only enhances students’ comprehension of the interdisciplinary field of chemistry and machine learning but also sparks their interests in chemical research and fosters innovative thinking,laying a solid foundation for their future development.

Structure elucidation based on nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopy is a core skill for students majoring in chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences.However,its inherent complexity and the requirement for long-term,repeated practice render it difficult to master within constrained class hours.While multiple mature online practice platforms have been developed internationally,dedicated Chinese-language NMR learning websites remain scarce domestically.Drawing upon practical teaching experience,this article systematically reviews and critically evaluates representative platforms,including WebSpectra,NMRium,and Interactive Spectroscopy Problems,by analyzing their distinctive features and limitations,and elaborates on practical approaches for both instructors and students to utilize these resources.Within the context of educational digitalization,the strategic integration of these platforms into analytical exercises can effectively compensate for insufficient curricular resources and substantially enhance students’ spectral interpretation competence.This approach merits wider adoption among educators and students in chemistry and pharmacy programs