Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots and Green Chemistry Principles in the Synthesis of Cyclohexene
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Summary
This transformative undergraduate organic chemistry lab reimagines traditional instruction by embedding green chemistry principles and generative AI tools to elevate student engagement and learning outcomes. Piloted at a two-year college, the activity tasked students with synthesizing cyclohexene from cyclohexanol using safer, more sustainable catalysts—challenging them to rethink conventional practices. By harnessing AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, students actively explored greener reagent alternatives, aligning their choices with the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry and validating them through ChemForward and instructor feedback. Catalysts such as Amberlyst-15 and dried orange peels yielded varied results, offering real-world insight into the trade-offs and opportunities of eco-conscious experimentation.
More than a lab exercise, this initiative cultivates essential 21st-century skills—digital literacy, sustainability, ethical reasoning, and scientific inquiry—while sparking critical conversations about the role of AI in responsible decision-making. Student reflections and survey data revealed heightened curiosity, deeper conceptual understanding, and a stronger commitment to sustainable practices. This model offers a scalable, cost-effective blueprint for integrating environmental stewardship and emerging technologies into STEM education.
Full citation: Kim, J. (2025). Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots and Green Chemistry Principles in the Synthesis of Cyclohexene. Journal of Chemical Education, 102(7), 3058–3064.
More than a lab exercise, this initiative cultivates essential 21st-century skills—digital literacy, sustainability, ethical reasoning, and scientific inquiry—while sparking critical conversations about the role of AI in responsible decision-making. Student reflections and survey data revealed heightened curiosity, deeper conceptual understanding, and a stronger commitment to sustainable practices. This model offers a scalable, cost-effective blueprint for integrating environmental stewardship and emerging technologies into STEM education.
Full citation: Kim, J. (2025). Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots and Green Chemistry Principles in the Synthesis of Cyclohexene. Journal of Chemical Education, 102(7), 3058–3064.
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This reaction has been cited…
This reaction has been cited as a possible procedure for UK A-level students to carry out. It is very slow (boring), delaying teaching time, and the odour of the product is awful (though it is not toxic). I can't see how these catalysts can help because of the $48 paywall. I would like to know because I have used Amberlyst-15 as the catalyst to make aspirin and study the ethanol/ethanoic acid equilibrium. The dried (or is it carbonated?) orange peel sounds intriguing. I could pay $48, but I might be disappointed if the procedure is not as simple as it seems. It has happened before.
Students will carry out tests on the product. I have suggested that making propene gas from propan-2-ol is quicker and safer. You can see it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEvMWTBrMoM. . Using plastic syringes, I can collect gas over water and perform reactions. The bonus was that I could hydrogenate propene to propane. The ignited gases burn with different flames. (I now only use the carbon/Pd catalyst, as it is less expensive and is not "poisoned" in the reaction as the alumina catalyst is.) It is wonderful to see Avogadro's law on gas volumes in operation.
Our schools don't usually have banks of fume cupboards, but we can conduct this propene preparation on the bench instead.
If journals are under a paywall, perhaps we can have more information. Actually my written propene method is under a paywall too, but a good chemist can adapt the method for his students from a video.