Scholars@Duke
Charlie T. Cox

Charlie T. Cox

Associate Professor of the Practice of Chemistry
Chemistry
charlie.cox@duke.edu
1222 French Science Center, 124 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708
124 Science Drive, 1222 French Science Center, Durham, NC 27708

Selected Publications

Beyond VSEPR─The Significance of p-Orbital Conjugation in Determining the Hybridization

Journal Article Journal of Chemical Education · September 10, 2024 General chemistry is a foundational course designed, in part, to prepare students for organic chemistry and subsequent advanced chemistry courses. Models introduced in general chemistry, such as Lewis structures, resonance, and hybridization, are reiterate ... Full text Cite

Conjugation Amplifies Complexity: A Comparison of Problem-Solving Strategies Across the Organic Chemistry Sequence

Journal Article Journal of Chemical Education · July 9, 2024 Featured Publication Resonance structures are central representations in organic chemistry that explain trends in acidity, reactivity, geometry, and stability. Despite being a central representation, prior research findings have shown that students’ productive application of r ... Full text Cite

How Much? How Fast? A Study of Kinetics and Thermodynamics through the Lens of Reaction Coordinate Diagrams in Organic Chemistry

Journal Article Journal of Chemical Education · June 11, 2024 Featured Publication Correctly predicting the products and having a qualitative understanding of their ratios is a fundamental skill fostered in organic chemistry. This skill can involve the electron-pushing formalism (EPF) and reaction coordinate diagrams (RCDs). These repres ... Full text Cite

Examining the effect of categorized versus uncategorized homework on test performance of general chemistry students

Journal Article Chemistry Teacher International · January 1, 2024 The study reports a comparison of two first-semester general chemistry cohorts who were provided with the same instruction and course materials, but the format for their online homework assignments differed. One cohort had homework assignments organized us ... Full text Cite

Analysis of resources applied to rationalize elimination mechanisms

Journal Article Chemistry Education Research and Practice · September 1, 2023 Featured Publication This study aimed to analyze second-semester organic chemistry students’ problem-solving strategies, specifically focusing on the resources activated while solving problems on E2, E1, and E1cB elimination reactions. Using the theoretical framework by Elby a ... Full text Cite

Students’ Identification and Application of Models to Rationalize Organic Acid-Base Trends

Chapter · October 28, 2022 Featured Publication Acid - base chemistry is an essential component of the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Acid - base concepts are introduced in general chemistry and expanded on in organic chemistry, b iochemistry, and other advanced chemistry courses. Thro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Students’ Identification and Application of Models to Rationalize Organic Acid-Base Trends

Chapter · October 28, 2022 Featured Publication Acid - base chemistry is an essential component of the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Acid - base concepts are introduced in general chemistry and expanded on in organic chemistry, b iochemistry, and other advanced chemistry courses. Thro ... Full text Link to item Cite

A qualitative investigation of the interactions of students with graduate and undergraduate tas in general chemistry laboratories

Journal Article Education Sciences · October 1, 2021 A new teaching assistant model was adopted and qualitatively assessed for the general chemistry laboratory, in which both an undergraduate and a graduate teaching assistant provided instruction to students during the lab. Verbal interactions between gradua ... Full text Cite

Zooming in on polymer chemistry and designing synthesis of high sulfur-content polymers for virtual undergraduate laboratory experiment

Journal Article Journal of Chemical Education · June 8, 2021 Featured Publication Polymer chemistry is essential within chemical education because of its applications in academic and industrial research, materials science, and across engineering disciplines. Teaching polymer chemistry principles early on in the undergraduate curriculum ... Full text Cite

Deconstructing the Problem-solving Process: Beneath Assigned Points and Beyond Traditional Assessment

Chapter · May 31, 2021 Featured Publication The book concludes with methodological and epistemological issues in problem solving research and other perspectives in problem solving in chemistry. With a foreword by George Bodner. ... Cite

Diels-Alder Reaction

Internet Publication · 2021 Full text Link to item Cite

Investigation of the correlation between college students’ success with stoichiometry subproblems and metacognitive awareness

Journal Article Canadian Journal of Chemistry · January 1, 2020 The development of problem-solving skills — particularly with stoichiometry concepts — is paramount for succeeding in a general chemistry sequence. Key concepts related to problem solving and stoichiometry were analyzed and reported in this paper. The stud ... Full text Open Access Cite

Analyzing Characteristics of Experts in the Context of Stoichiometric Problem-Solving

Journal Article Education Sciences · August 15, 2019 To gauge the variability in expert problem-solving strategies for stoichiometry problems, a set of experts in different career tracks were studied with the cohort including 17 graduate students in chemistry, three college chemistry instructors, and ... Full text Cite

International Perspectives on Chemistry Education, Research, and Practice

Book · August 2019 Featured Publication Strategies for improving teaching and student success in secondary and post-secondary chemistry classrooms is widely researched nationally and internationally. ... Cite

Designing a New Safety Training Program

Chapter · August 2019 This book opens the door for chemical educators concerning international communication, collaboration, and research. ... Cite

Rhodium-Catalyzed C-H Amination: A Case Study of Selectivity in C-H Functionalization Reactions

Journal Article Journal of Chemical Education · December 11, 2018 Featured Publication An advanced undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory experiment involving a rhodium-catalyzed intermolecular hydrocarbon C-H oxidation reaction is described. In the initial phase of this lab, students conduct a C-H amination reaction of ethylbenzene and ... Full text Cite

Using Writing Assignments as an Intervention to Strengthen Acid-Base Skills

Journal Article Journal of Chemical Education · August 14, 2018 Featured Publication Problem solving and critical thinking are buzzwords used in defining general chemistry learning goals. Assessments including well-structured homework, quizzes, and exams are designed and incorporated to build these skills. Our research expanded upon the ty ... Full text Cite

Implementation of Peer-Reviewed Homework Assignments

Journal Article Journal of College Science Teaching · January 2017 Full text Cite

Incorporating More Individual Accountability in Group Activities in General Chemistry

Journal Article Journal of College Science Teaching · January 2015 Full text Cite

Improving Problem Solving with Simple Interventions

Journal Article New Directions · October 2007 Full text Cite

Assessing Student UnDerstanDIng with Technology

Journal Article The Science Teacher · 2006 Cite

Derivatization of Fullerenes: An Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Journal Article Journal of Chemical Education · January 2006 Full text Cite

Retrocyclopropanation reactions of fullerenes: complete product analyses.

Journal Article The Journal of organic chemistry · June 2003 Mono- and bis-pyrene malonates 1 and 2 were synthesized and reacted with C(60) to prepare the corresponding Bingel adducts 3 and 4. These compounds were characterized electrochemically and exhibited the well-established retrocyclopropanation reaction when ... Full text Cite

Developing a Framework for Integrating Prior Problem Solving and Knowledge Sharing Histories of a Group to Predict Future Group Performance

Conference 2005 International Conference on Collaborative Computing: Networking, Applications and Worksharing Full text Cite