diff --git a/include/cantera/kinetics/StoichManager.h b/include/cantera/kinetics/StoichManager.h
index 9a9fc805e..b70284db1 100644
--- a/include/cantera/kinetics/StoichManager.h
+++ b/include/cantera/kinetics/StoichManager.h
@@ -608,7 +608,7 @@ public:
             }
         }
         if (frac || k.size() > 3) {
-            m_cn_list.push_back(C_AnyN(rxn, k, order, stoich));
+            m_cn_list.emplace_back(rxn, k, order, stoich);
         } else {
             // Try to express the reaction with unity stoichiometric
             // coefficients (by repeating species when necessary) so that the
@@ -623,16 +623,16 @@ public:
 
             switch (kRep.size()) {
             case 1:
-                m_c1_list.push_back(C1(rxn, kRep[0]));
+                m_c1_list.emplace_back(rxn, kRep[0]);
                 break;
             case 2:
-                m_c2_list.push_back(C2(rxn, kRep[0], kRep[1]));
+                m_c2_list.emplace_back(rxn, kRep[0], kRep[1]);
                 break;
             case 3:
-                m_c3_list.push_back(C3(rxn, kRep[0], kRep[1], kRep[2]));
+                m_c3_list.emplace_back(rxn, kRep[0], kRep[1], kRep[2]);
                 break;
             default:
-                m_cn_list.push_back(C_AnyN(rxn, k, order, stoich));
+                m_cn_list.emplace_back(rxn, k, order, stoich);
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/include/cantera/kinetics/ThirdBodyCalc.h b/include/cantera/kinetics/ThirdBodyCalc.h
index b9874253e..7469d5afb 100644
--- a/include/cantera/kinetics/ThirdBodyCalc.h
+++ b/include/cantera/kinetics/ThirdBodyCalc.h
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ public:
         m_reaction_index.push_back(rxnNumber);
         m_default.push_back(dflt);
 
-        m_species.push_back(std::vector<size_t>());
-        m_eff.push_back(vector_fp());
+        m_species.emplace_back();
+        m_eff.emplace_back();
         for (const auto& eff : enhanced) {
             assert(eff.first != npos);
             m_species.back().push_back(eff.first);
diff --git a/src/base/application.cpp b/src/base/application.cpp
index e7f9f8fc8..05f46ec93 100644
--- a/src/base/application.cpp
+++ b/src/base/application.cpp
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ Application::Messages* Application::ThreadMessages::operator ->()
         return iter->second.get();
     }
     pMessages_t pMsgs(new Messages());
-    m_threadMsgMap.insert(std::pair< cthreadId_t, pMessages_t >(curId, pMsgs));
+    m_threadMsgMap.emplace(curId, pMsgs);
     return pMsgs.get();
 }
 
diff --git a/src/base/xml.cpp b/src/base/xml.cpp
index fab9af743..14eda837a 100644
--- a/src/base/xml.cpp
+++ b/src/base/xml.cpp
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ void XML_Node::addComment(const std::string& comment)
 XML_Node& XML_Node::mergeAsChild(XML_Node& node)
 {
     m_children.push_back(&node);
-    m_childindex.insert(pair<const std::string, XML_Node*>(node.name(), m_children.back()));
+    m_childindex.emplace(node.name(), m_children.back());
     node.setRoot(root());
     node.setParent(this);
     return *m_children.back();
diff --git a/src/kinetics/InterfaceKinetics.cpp b/src/kinetics/InterfaceKinetics.cpp
index f88a7381a..5e6f7358b 100644
--- a/src/kinetics/InterfaceKinetics.cpp
+++ b/src/kinetics/InterfaceKinetics.cpp
@@ -739,8 +739,8 @@ bool InterfaceKinetics::addReaction(shared_ptr<Reaction> r_base)
         m_nirrev++;
     }
 
-    m_rxnPhaseIsReactant.push_back(std::vector<bool>(nPhases(), false));
-    m_rxnPhaseIsProduct.push_back(std::vector<bool>(nPhases(), false));
+    m_rxnPhaseIsReactant.emplace_back(nPhases(), false);
+    m_rxnPhaseIsProduct.emplace_back(nPhases(), false);
 
     for (const auto& sp : r.reactants) {
         size_t k = kineticsSpeciesIndex(sp.first);
@@ -835,7 +835,7 @@ SurfaceArrhenius InterfaceKinetics::buildSurfaceArrhenius(
             }
         }
         if (i != npos) {
-            m_sticking_orders.push_back(make_pair(i, surface_order));
+            m_sticking_orders.emplace_back(i, surface_order);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/kinetics/Kinetics.cpp b/src/kinetics/Kinetics.cpp
index 2aacf2291..322a8be37 100644
--- a/src/kinetics/Kinetics.cpp
+++ b/src/kinetics/Kinetics.cpp
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ std::pair<size_t, size_t> Kinetics::checkDuplicates(bool throw_err) const
         // Get data about this reaction
         unsigned long int key = 0;
         Reaction& R = *m_reactions[i];
-        net_stoich.push_back(std::map<int, double>());
+        net_stoich.emplace_back();
         std::map<int, double>& net = net_stoich.back();
         for (const auto& sp : R.reactants) {
             int k = static_cast<int>(kineticsSpeciesIndex(sp.first));
diff --git a/src/kinetics/Reaction.cpp b/src/kinetics/Reaction.cpp
index 4f28506f7..9b6e7daf1 100644
--- a/src/kinetics/Reaction.cpp
+++ b/src/kinetics/Reaction.cpp
@@ -432,8 +432,7 @@ void setupPlogReaction(PlogReaction& R, const XML_Node& rxn_node)
     std::multimap<double, Arrhenius> rates;
     for (size_t m = 0; m < rc.nChildren(); m++) {
         const XML_Node& node = rc.child(m);
-        rates.insert(std::make_pair(getFloat(node, "P", "toSI"),
-                                    readArrhenius(node)));
+        rates.emplace(getFloat(node, "P", "toSI"), readArrhenius(node));
     }
     R.rate = Plog(rates);
     setupReaction(R, rxn_node);
diff --git a/src/kinetics/RxnRates.cpp b/src/kinetics/RxnRates.cpp
index c4ad7416e..7c1e48e46 100644
--- a/src/kinetics/RxnRates.cpp
+++ b/src/kinetics/RxnRates.cpp
@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ Plog::Plog(const std::multimap<double, Arrhenius>& rates)
     }
 
     // Duplicate the first and last groups to handle P < P_0 and P > P_N
-    pressures_.insert(std::make_pair(-1000.0, pressures_.begin()->second));
-    pressures_.insert(std::make_pair(1000.0, pressures_.rbegin()->second));
+    pressures_.emplace(-1000.0, pressures_.begin()->second);
+    pressures_.emplace(1000.0, pressures_.rbegin()->second);
 }
 
 void Plog::validate(const std::string& equation)
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ std::vector<std::pair<double, Arrhenius> > Plog::rates() const
         for (size_t i = iter->second.first;
              i < iter->second.second;
              i++) {
-            R.push_back(std::make_pair(std::exp(iter->first), rates_[i]));
+            R.emplace_back(std::exp(iter->first), rates_[i]);
         }
     }
     return R;
diff --git a/src/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.cpp b/src/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.cpp
index 6f0f2f380..ba79eed0c 100644
--- a/src/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.cpp
+++ b/src/numerics/CVodesIntegrator.cpp
@@ -457,10 +457,10 @@ string CVodesIntegrator::getErrorInfo(int N)
     CVodeGetErrWeights(m_cvode_mem, errw);
     CVodeGetEstLocalErrors(m_cvode_mem, errs);
 
-    vector<pair<pair<double, double>, size_t> > weightedErrors;
+    vector<tuple<double, double, size_t> > weightedErrors;
     for (size_t i=0; i<m_neq; i++) {
         double err = NV_Ith_S(errs, i) * NV_Ith_S(errw, i);
-        weightedErrors.push_back(make_pair(make_pair(-abs(err), err), i));
+        weightedErrors.emplace_back(-abs(err), err, i);
     }
     N_VDestroy(errs);
     N_VDestroy(errw);
@@ -469,8 +469,8 @@ string CVodesIntegrator::getErrorInfo(int N)
     sort(weightedErrors.begin(), weightedErrors.end());
     stringstream s;
     for (int i=0; i<N; i++) {
-        s << weightedErrors[i].second << ": "
-          << weightedErrors[i].first.second << endl;
+        s << get<2>(weightedErrors[i]) << ": "
+          << get<1>(weightedErrors[i]) << endl;
     }
     return s.str();
 }
diff --git a/src/thermo/GeneralSpeciesThermo.cpp b/src/thermo/GeneralSpeciesThermo.cpp
index fc9b6dfc8..fc535ff88 100644
--- a/src/thermo/GeneralSpeciesThermo.cpp
+++ b/src/thermo/GeneralSpeciesThermo.cpp
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ GeneralSpeciesThermo::GeneralSpeciesThermo(const GeneralSpeciesThermo& b) :
             size_t i = sp.second[k].first;
             shared_ptr<SpeciesThermoInterpType> spec(
                 sp.second[k].second->duplMyselfAsSpeciesThermoInterpType());
-            m_sp[sp.first].push_back(std::make_pair(i, spec));
+            m_sp[sp.first].emplace_back(i, spec);
         }
     }
 }
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ GeneralSpeciesThermo::operator=(const GeneralSpeciesThermo& b)
             size_t i = sp.second[k].first;
             shared_ptr<SpeciesThermoInterpType> spec(
                 sp.second[k].second->duplMyselfAsSpeciesThermoInterpType());
-            m_sp[sp.first].push_back(std::make_pair(i, spec));
+            m_sp[sp.first].emplace_back(i, spec);
         }
     }
 
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ void GeneralSpeciesThermo::install_STIT(size_t index,
             "Index position isn't null, duplication of assignment: {}", index);
     int type = stit_ptr->reportType();
     m_speciesLoc[index] = std::make_pair(type, m_sp[type].size());
-    m_sp[type].push_back(std::make_pair(index, stit_ptr));
+    m_sp[type].emplace_back(index, stit_ptr);
     if (m_sp[type].size() == 1) {
         m_tpoly[type].resize(stit_ptr->temperaturePolySize());
     }
diff --git a/src/transport/TransportFactory.cpp b/src/transport/TransportFactory.cpp
index a3ae16f66..135e30704 100644
--- a/src/transport/TransportFactory.cpp
+++ b/src/transport/TransportFactory.cpp
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ void TransportFactory::getLiquidSpeciesTransportData(const std::vector<const XML
                         throw CanteraError("getLiquidSpeciesTransportData","unknown transport property: " + nodeName);
                     }
                 }
-                datatable.insert(pair<std::string, LiquidTransportData>(name,data));
+                datatable.emplace(name,data);
             }
         } catch (CanteraError& err) {
             err.save();
diff --git a/src/zeroD/Reactor.cpp b/src/zeroD/Reactor.cpp
index 0247478ab..711aa6709 100644
--- a/src/zeroD/Reactor.cpp
+++ b/src/zeroD/Reactor.cpp
@@ -325,10 +325,10 @@ void Reactor::addSensitivityReaction(size_t rxn)
 std::vector<std::pair<void*, int> > Reactor::getSensitivityOrder() const
 {
     std::vector<std::pair<void*, int> > order;
-    order.push_back(std::make_pair(const_cast<Reactor*>(this), 0));
+    order.emplace_back(const_cast<Reactor*>(this), 0);
     for (size_t n = 0; n < m_wall.size(); n++) {
         if (m_nsens_wall[n]) {
-            order.push_back(std::make_pair(m_wall[n], m_lr[n]));
+            order.emplace_back(m_wall[n], m_lr[n]);
         }
     }
     return order;