A simple and economical experimental setup is described that enables multiple individuals or groups within a laboratory class to measure the thermal melting of double stranded DNA simultaneously. The setup utilizes a basic spectrophotometer capable of measuring absorbance at 260 nm, UV plastic cuvettes, and a stirring hot plate. Students measure…

A simple organic chemistry experiment is described that investigates the kinetics of the reaction between 1-bromobutane (BuBr) and iodide (I[superscript -]) as followed by observing the disappearance of BuBr and the appearance of 1-iodobutane (BuI) using [superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopy. In small groups of three to four, students acquire data to…

Variable temperature NMR spectroscopy is used to determine the ?H° and ?S° of hydrogen bond formation in a simple diamide. In this two- or three-day experiment, students synthesize N,N'-dimethylmalonamide, dimethylsuccinamide, dimethylglutaramide, or dimethyladipamide from methylamine and the corresponding diester (typically in 50% recrystallized…

First-order kinetic decay rates can be obtained by measuring the time-dependent reflection spectra of ultraviolet-sensitive objects as they returned from their excited, colored state back to the ground, colorless state. In this paper, a procedure is described which provides an innovative and unique twist on standard, undergraduate, kinetics…

The determination of kinetic data is central to reaction mechanism; science courses usually include experiments on chemical kinetics. Thanks to PC-controlled data acquisition and availability of software, the students calculate rate constants, whether the experiment has been done properly or not. This contrasts with their experience in, e.g.,…

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful experimental technique, yet it is often missing from the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory curriculum. Tetrachloromethane (CCl[subscript 4]) is the ideal molecule for an introductory vibrational spectroscopy experiment and the symmetric stretch vibration contains fine structure due to isotopic variations…

Although vacuum technology is essential to many aspects of modern physical and analytical chemistry, vacuum experiments are rarely the focus of undergraduate laboratories. We describe an experiment that introduces students to vacuum science and mass spectrometry. The students first assemble a vacuum system, including a mass spectrometer. While…