Click chemistry into undergraduate labs

I have to say it is somewhat disappointing to see the currrent status of click chemistry in undergraduate labs. One has yet to identify a laboratory in which click chemistry is in use for undergraduate organic chemistry experiment. A few publications in Journal of Chemical Education should give a good starting point.

Back in 2008 researchers from Scripps Institute and other colleges published a wonderful click chemistry paper (J. Chem. Edu. 2005, 1833). It was tailored and tested to be robust undergruduate procedures in click chemistry. It should be an excellent opportunity for touching on some uptodate organic chemistry. Click chemistry between azide and terminal acetylenes can be introduced with Diels-Alder reaction.

Another publication covers alternative reaction media of Diels-Alder reaction as green chemistry solutions (J. Chem. Edu. 2009, 488). Both solventless-room temperature and water-as-solvent conditions are close to click chemistry standards.

A third paper deals with "Synthesis of Imidazolium Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids" (J. Chem. Edu. 2009, 856). It intends to use the synthesis to demonstrate the concepts of green chemistry and click chemistry.  

We look forward to the change.