1 / 16

Use of a computer controlled spectrophotometer in home chemistry experiments

Use of a computer controlled spectrophotometer in home chemistry experiments. Lawton Shaw and Robert Carmichael Centre for Science, Athabasca University. Athabasca University. 38,000 students (7,900 FLE) Open registration Average age: 29 83% work while they study

charleigh-edwards
Télécharger la présentation

Use of a computer controlled spectrophotometer in home chemistry experiments

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Use of a computer controlled spectrophotometer in home chemistry experiments Lawton Shaw and Robert Carmichael Centre for Science, Athabasca University

  2. Athabasca University • 38,000 students (7,900 FLE) • Open registration • Average age: 29 • 83% work while they study • Students from across Canada and abroad

  3. Home Labs at AU • General Chemistry I (>500 students per year) • Home lab kit ships anywhere within Canada

  4. Criteria for Home Lab Experiments Practical: • Need durable equipment • Low cost • Small size/weight • Reliable experiments • Safety & low chemical toxicity • “Green” Lab Curriculum: • Meaningful experiments • Quantitative measurements where possible (e.g. mass, volume, etc…) • Introduction to instrumentation?

  5. Home Experiments • Candle (observational) • Mass, volume • Spectrophotometry • Acid/base titrations • Gas constant • Colligative properties • Reaction Enthalpy • Qualitative cation determination • Quantitative analysis of P • Reaction stoichiometry (iodate, iodide)

  6. Home-made colorimeter D. Kennepohl and M. Connors ‘An Inexpensive Mini-colorimeter for Undergraduate Science Laboratories , Australian Journal of Education in Chemistry, 2010, 70, 38-41

  7. VernierSpectroVis Plus • CCD array • 380-950 nm, 2.5 nm resolution • 1 s spectral acquisition • Powered with USB connection • PC controlled • Downloadable software (free) • < $500

  8. Experiment: Determining %ASA in an aspirin tablet

  9. Student Data – Spectrum of Fe(III) salicylate complex

  10. Student Calibration Data

  11. SpectroVis Plus • Approx. 250 shipped to date • No damage to instruments (so far!) • Much positive feedback from students and tutors • Students satisfied with good data quality

  12. Problems/Criticisms • Students may have difficulty installing software (infrequent and always resolved) • Software does too much of the work for students (i.e. black box type calculations)

  13. New learning experiences for students • Computer control of an instrument (e.g. setting parameters) • Instrument calibration • Electronic capture of data • Electronic data processing

  14. What we’re working on… • Preparing to survey students on their previous experience with instrumentation, and how they rate their learning experience • New home lab experiments with the SpectroVis

  15. Acknowledgments • Chemistry 217 tutors (Jim Robinson, NyronJaleel, Klaus Thomson, Kate Stuttaford) • Lab Kit Manager, Neil Sexton • Knowledge Infrastructure Program • Athabasca University

More Related