Acquisition of a Raman Spectrometer for Undergraduate Research

Coe College, Cedar Rapids IA

Investigators

Abstract

This grant provides support for the acquisition of a Raman spectrometer for undergraduate research at Coe College. Coe has a very successful undergraduate research program in physics and chemistry, which has recently become an NSF REU site in Spectroscopy. The Raman system will not only complement our substantial base of research equipment, but also provide new opportunities for the incorporation of this kind of spectroscopy in the physics and chemistry curriculum. The Raman system will allow research work in glass science, optics, and environmental chemistry. Projects include the determination of the structure of novel glasses, including alkali and lead vanadates, and lithium bismuthates; investigations of changes in the structure of photosensitive lead silicate glasses upon laser irradiation, to analyze superstructural units desorbed from glass surfaces by laser light, and to check results obtained using a laser ionization time of flight mass spectrometer; measurements of the optical basicity of glasses, and to investigations of changes in the structure of materials that have been exposed to corrosive environments, especially species in the gas phase; studies of the role of surface bound iron in the reduction of nitroaromatic compounds, by monitoring the transformation of iron oxides in electrodes, and by characterizing ligand binding to iron ions on the surface; and studies of the redox reactions at iron-containing mineral surfaces. Coe is in its second year hosting an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site, designed to recruit students from small colleges, often from rural settings, that have little or no opportunities for research. The scientific emphasis of the site is on spectroscopy, covering the areas of Optics, Materials Science, Acoustics, Gas Phase Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, and Chemical Synthesis. Over thirty undergraduate students involved in physics and chemistry research at Coe will make use of this instrument for their work. For the Coe students, the instrument will not only be a research tool, but also part of a comprehensive exposure to spectroscopy throughout the curriculum. The Raman system will be fully integrated into a variety of courses and their corresponding labs, providing training in Raman theory and operation for research students and exposure to all pupils. These courses include Materials Physics and Chemistry, Advanced Labs in Glass and in Chemistry, Optics, and Physical Chemistry. We note that Coe's spectroscopy-based REU site is designed to provide research opportunities for students from small colleges, often rural, who do not have the chance to do hands-on, publishable work. It is therefore essential that we maintain an updated, broad, research-grade instrumentation base to enable us to train these REU students in the field of spectroscopy.