Inclusion of Raman Spectroscopy in the Upper-Level Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratories

University Of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls IA

Investigators

Abstract

Chemistry (12) As part of a continuing effort to improve the laboratory experience of chemistry majors, Raman spectroscopy is being incorporated into the undergraduate, upper-level laboratory curriculum with the purchase of an instrument that combines the optics for Raman, fluorescence, emission, and absorption spectroscopy with CCD camera detection. Although somewhat sparse, experiments focusing on Raman spectroscopy are being adapted from the research and educational literature and are being implemented into the physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and instrumental analysis laboratories, with each emphasizing a different aspect of the theory and use of Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy is already presented in the lecture portion of these courses but prior to this award, no instrumentation to illustrate its applications in the laboratory was available. Recent advances in instrument and detector design have made Raman spectroscopy more valuable in industrial and research laboratories, providing a strong motivation to make undergraduate students knowledgeable about the technique. Laboratory experience with Raman spectroscopy is not common in most undergraduate laboratories so the experiments being adapted and implemented are likely to be transportable to other undergraduate programs.