ABSTRACT: As part of a laboratory course, undergraduate students were asked
to use baker’s yeast cells as biotemplate in preparing TiO2 powders and to test
the photocatalytic activity of the resulting materials. This laboratory experience,
selected because of the important environmental implications of soft chemistry
and photocatalysis, provides an opportunity to teach valuable laboratory skills
and to introduce students to the synthesis, isolation, and characterization of
inorganic materials. This laboratory activity is adaptable to a range of educational
levels and to various instrumental techniques.