Reports results of a survey in which 110 universities were selected to respond to questions regarding approximate age and cost of the instruments used in three major areas: separations, spectroscopy, and electroanalysis. Respondents (N=41) also indicated which pieces of equipment were used in undergraduate courses or were used for research. (CS)

Presents the answer to a question, which is intended for high school students, about the dispersion of white light by a glass prism. Why the high frequency waves travel slower than the lower frequencies in glass is also presented. (HM)

Discusses how trace elements are determined in soils and plants and accounts for some of the effects observed. (BB)

Encourages the incorporation into lecture of live experiments that can be predicted or interpreted with abstract models. A demonstration is described where the position of the predominant peak of 1,1'-diethyl-4,4'-cyanine iodide is measured in class using an overhead projector spectrometer, then predicted using the model of a particle in a…

Outlines the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) mission to measure celestial radiation. Describes the instruments used and experiments involving differential microwave radiometers, and a far infrared absolute spectrophotometer. (YP)

Presented are definitions and a grid to clarify relationships between terms. Discussed is an example of the application of Einstein coefficients and some suggestions for teaching this concept. (CW)

Addresses solution nonmetal determinations on a fundamental level. Characterizes research in this area of chemical instrumentation. Discusses the fundamental limitations of nonmetal atomic spectrometry, the status of nonmetals and atomic spectroscopic techniques, and current directions in solution nonmetal determinations. (CW)

Presents three absorption line sources that enhance student understanding of the phenomena associated with the interaction of light with matter and help dispel the misconception that atoms "emit" absorption lines. Sources include neodymium, food coloring and other common household liquids, and fluorescent materials. (MDH)

A collaborative research program in auger spectroscopy at the University of Liverpool (England) involved scientists from 12 universities and research groups in 5 European countries and financed with international funds is described. The experience of the collaborators suggests how similar projects might be initiated and managed. (Author/MSE)

An introductory undergraduate physical organic chemistry exercise that introduces the harmonic oscillator's use in vibrational spectroscopy is developed. The analysis and modeling exercise begins with the students calculating the stretching modes of common organic molecules with the help of the quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator (QMHO) model.

In this study the photoinhibition of photosystems (PS) I and II caused by exposure to high intensity light in oat ("Avena sativa," var Prevision) is measured by the emission of chlorophyll fluorescence in intact leaves adapted to darkness. The maximal quantum yield of PS II was lower in plants grown under high light intensity than in plants grown…

A simple chemical sensor-related experiment rooted in the synthesis of polymeric materials for use in either an advanced high-school or undergraduate college laboratory is presented. Students are introduced to and combine to the concepts of the chemical sensor, polymer chemistry, spectroscopy, metal chelates, and quantitative analytical methods.

We present a laboratory practice aimed to clarify and discuss the concept of bioindicator molecules in environmental health. It has been implemented as a hands-on laboratory exercise in postgraduate courses in public health (in Brazil) and in a course entitled Biology Applied to Natural Resources Sustainability (in Spain) but can be useful for…

Two linked courses examining conservation science and art history of 17th-century Dutch painting are described. The two courses have been taught on campus and, most recently, as study-abroad courses in collaboration with the Center for European Studies, Universiteit Maastricht, The Netherlands. The highly interdisciplinary courses are intense, yet…

Describes a technique in which a Fabry-Perot etalon can be used to demonstrate longitudinal and transverse modes present in a laser beam. (Author/CP)