Laser education begins with the students building a laser spectrometer system from basic components. Students use the constructed laser spectrometer to obtain and interpret Raman Spectra, examine Beer's Law, estimate solute concentration in solution, determine the pKa of a weak acid, construct Jablonski diagrams from absorption and emission data, determine emission lifetimes, and examine electron transfer quenching by Stern-Volmer techniques. Finally, the students design, synthesize and characterize molecules for use as molecular sensors. The number of students affected is approximately seventy per year. The activities are centered on a nanosecond pulsed laser.
Students have hands-on exposure to fundamental concepts which they often have difficulty grasping.
Particularly, concepts involving quantum mechanical theory related to electronic properties of molecules and the interaction of light with molecules are being brought to life in the undergraduate curriculum. The courses affected are Instrumental Analysis, Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry and Independent Study and Research. A carefully chosen set of experiments from the research literature and from the Journal of Chemical Education is being adapted into the courses. In addition, we will introduce exercises to teach thermochemical concepts in the Physical Chemistry Laboratory in an entirely new and easily understood way. The addition of the GC-ITMS will allow us to merge widely applied and relevant scientific instrumentation and technology with chemical education and training.