Microcomputer Applications for Chemistry Laboratories

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The Department of Chemistry is purchasing 8 microcomputers with associated peripherals and sofware for use in laboratory courses in general chemistry, physical chemistry, and instrumental analysis. These laboratory courses are coordinated with one another so that students receive the benefits of a coherent introduction to the applications of computers in chemistry; including data analysis, interfacing to experiments, and theoretical computations. As part of this project, new computer-based experiments are being developed for these labs. In addition to their use in specific courses, these computers are available to all chemistry students at all unscheduled times.In the general chemistry course, students are introduced to computers for data collection, analysis and problem solving; including exposure to spreadsheet, graphing and equation-solving software. Various transducers, such as thermistors, thermocouples, and photodiodes are used. In the quantitative analysis course, experiments are performed involving anion analysis by high performance liquid chromatography. In the instrumental analysis course, instruction in the use of computers for data acquisition, control, and analysis build upon the experience gained in earlier courses. In the physical chemistry course, the geometry and vibrational frequencies of a molecule, such as SO2 are calculated.