ABI: application of Pfeiffer chromatography as a chemistry learning tool in agricultural education.

Abstract

Given the need to promote teaching that complies with the development of competencies, the Zamorano University Chemistry Laboratory generated the application of a methodology that favors the development of skills and tools used in research through the teaching of analytical techniques such as chromatography, under the Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) methodology. Among the techniques that students learn in the Chemistry Laboratory, the use of Pfeiffer chromatography for soil analysis of plots stands out; this is a qualitative technique that can be used in soils and composts. The objective of using this technique in the Chemistry Laboratory is that students can perform soil analysis of their own plots under the Pfeiffer chromatography technique, linking the contents of the experimental area of chemistry with their professional area. The analysis was carried out in groups of 4-5 members (laboratory groups); the area destined to perform the analysis corresponds to the plots assigned to the first-year plant production class students. At the end of the analysis, each group identified the different zones of the chromatogram, knowing the composition of their soil; this activity allowed the connection between the chemistry laboratory and a specific class in agriculture, achieving positive results in the perception of the students.