Provided are experiments to acquaint students with basic spectrophotometer components and their functions, to use the instrument in an openended-experiment, and to use Beer's Law in several different ways. In addition, the detectability (tolerance) of the spectrophotometer with visual detection limits is provided as an optional activity. (JN)

Background, procedures, and results are provided for an experiment which examines, through electron spin resonance spectroscopy, complex species formed by cupric and 2,6-dihydroxybenzoate ions in aqueous solutions. The experiment is illustrative of several aspects of inorganic and coordination chemistry, including the identification of species…

Describes procedures for preparing acetylacetonate complex of cobalt(II), followed by spectrophotometric analysis to characterize the material, with additional characterization methods supplied by students to provide open-ended dimension for the experiment. (SK)

Describes a laboratory experiment which introduces basic principles and experimental techniques of mass spectrometry for fourth year undergraduate (B.Sc.) students. Laboratory procedures, background information, and discussion of results are provided for the experiment in which the natural isotopic abundance of chlorine is determined. (Author/JN)

Most students do not know how to determine the equilibrium constant and estimate the error in it from spectrophotometric data that contain experimental errors. This "dry-lab" experiment describes a method that may be used to determine the "best-fit" value of the 1:1 equilibrium constant to spectrophotometric data. (Author/JN)

Compares and contrasts effects of two spectroscopic techniques on bromine and iodine vapor. (CS)

Describes an undergraduate laboratory experiment that demonstrates the value of shift reagent use in producing a first-order spectrum of trans-retinol. (CS)

Provides explanations for the variations in appearance of spectra taken at different pressures and cell lengths. (CS)

Discusses the determination of the position of the absorption maximum in wide bands as well as the confidence limits for such calculations. A simple method, suited for pocket calculators, for the numerical evaluation of these calculations is presented. (BB)

Describes a set of experiments using a UV-VIS spectrometer to identify food colorings and to measure the pH of soft drinks. The first laboratory component uses locations and shapes of visible absorption peaks as a means of identifying dyes while the second portion uses the spectrometer for determining pH. (PVD)

Describes a general chemistry experiment that is carried out in sunlight to illustrate the ability of TiO2 to act as a photocatalyst by mineralizing an organic dye into carbon dioxide. Details about the construction of the reactor system used to perform this experiment are included. (DDR)

An experiment developed from the Advanced Integrated Environmental Laboratory illustrates the differences in automobile exhaust before and after the engine is warmed, using gas-phase Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The apparatus consists of an Avatar 360 FTIR spectrometer from Nicolet fitted with a variable path length gas cell,…

Quantification of a contaminant in water provides the first-year general chemistry students with a tangible application of mass spectrometry. The relevance of chemistry to assessing and solving environmental problems is highlighted for students when they perform mass spectroscopy experiments.

A study uses nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in a novel way to determine the isotopic ration between [to the tenth power]B and [to the eleventh power]B in sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The experiment provides an unusual and relatively simple means for undergraduate chemistry students to accurately measure the distribution of the two…

A discovery-oriented lab experiment is developed that illustrates the chemoselective nature of reductions using sodium borohydride. Products are of sufficient purity to allow analysis by spectroscopy without further purification.