Preprocessing is a critical step in the analysis pipeline of spectroscopic data. However, students are rarely introduced to preprocessing when learning spectral techniques in laboratory courses which in turn may affect and delay their progress in the field. Despite its undoubtable importance, students will be mainly performing spectroscopic…

A modern cybernetic potentiostat plays a significant role in realizing various electrochemical measurements. This technology report describes a general-purpose, scalable, handheld (10 cm[superscript 2]), yet affordable hardware-software framework for a potentiostat, galvanostat, and electrochemical impedance spectrometer with high capabilities:(1)…

Many introductory astronomy courses include concepts related to basic stellar properties. In general, these are concepts that originate from the human perception of starlight. This observational aspect is not easy to incorporate in the classroom. We explore if these concepts could be developed using the built-in data in a planetarium software.…

The use of symmetry is widespread in chemistry, as it is used for predictions of the number of allowed and forbidden absorptions in electronic, vibrational, and rotational spectroscopies; for predictions of the combination of atomic orbitals to produce molecular orbitals; and in many other chemical applications. One critical step in these…

A simple computer interface for controlling a compact spectrograph for use as a spectrophotometer in an undergraduate teaching laboratory was developed. The project was implemented on a Raspberry Pi computer which permits the integration of a light source into the software. The interface was written in Python to facilitate modification by the user…

During a short chemometrics course in the seventh semester of the chemistry undergraduate program, students receive a brief theoretical introduction to multivariate calibration, focused on partial least-squares regression as the most commonly employed data processing tool. The theory is complemented with the use of MVC1_R, an easy-to-use software…

Computational approaches toward simulating chemical systems and evaluating experimental data has gathered great momentum in recent years. The onset of more powerful computers and advanced software has been instrumental to this end. This manuscript presents a hands-on activity which trains students in basic coding skills within the Matlab…

The analysis of spectroscopic data to solve chemical structures requires practical skills and drills. In this context, we have developed ULg Spectra, a computer-based tool designed to improve the ability of learners to perform complex reasoning. The identification of organic chemical compounds involves gathering and interpreting complementary…

One challenge of teaching chemical analysis is the proliferation of sophisticated, but often impenetrable, instrumentation in the modern laboratory. Complex instruments, and the software that runs them, distance students from the physical and chemical processes that generate the analytical signal. A solution to this challenge is the introduction…

Instructional videos have been prepared using Adobe Captivate software to create animated tutorials to capture instrument and molecular modeling software simulations and to allow for increased independent hands-on instrument use by students and faster training for instructors and teaching assistants. The videos are available on YouTube and can be…

This paper presents a programming project named NMRviewer that allows students to visualize transformed and processed 1 H NMR data in an accessible, interactive format while allowing instructors to incorporate programming content into the chemistry curricula. Using the MATLAB graphical user interface development environment (GUIDE), students can…

The generation of secondary colors in digital devices by means of the additive red, green, and blue color model (RGB) can be a valuable way to introduce students to the basics of spectroscopy. This work has been focused on the spectral separation of secondary colors of light emitted by a computer screen into red, green, and blue bands, and how the…

The "FluSpec" educational software package is a fully contained tutorial on the technique of fluorescence spectroscopy as well as a simulator on which experiments can be performed. The procedure for each of the experiments is also contained within the package along with example analyses of results that are obtained using the software.

In this laboratory activity, the equilibrium between square pyramidal and octahedral V(IV)O[superscript 2+] complexes is described. We propose a set of experiments to synthesize and characterize two types of V(IV)O[superscript 2+] complexes. The experiment allows great flexibility and may be effectively used at a variety of levels and the activity…

This laboratory was developed by undergraduate students in collaboration with the course instructor as part of a peer-developed and peer-led lab curriculum in a general chemistry course. The goal was to explore the hypothesis that crystal violet lactone was responsible for the thermochromic properties of a sipping straw using a FT-IR for…