UV-Visible Spectrophotometry for Chemistry and Biology

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9450882 Walstrum Environmental Science is a multidisciplinary program that attracts by far the largest number of science students at the University of Dubuque. The number of students in the program has increased dramatically in the last two years. One goal of the program is to train students in environmental analysis. Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry is widely used in analyzing inorganic substances (e.g., phosphate, chromium) in environmental samples. We will purchase a diode-array UV-visible spectrophotometer that can obtain a spectrum in seconds, and automatically acquire kinetic data. We propose to use the instrument in a number of classes in the chemistry and biology curriculum. In instructional labs, we will use the instrument largely for quantitative analysis of chemicals of environmental interest and examining the spectra of biological pigments, and we will also use it for kinetics. In students' independent projects, we will use the instrument for evaluating the effectiveness of certain enzymes in degrading pollutants by examining the kinetics of reaction. We believe that using environmental analysis in laboratory classes is an effective way of increasing student interest in science, and that the laboratory exercises that we are using can be adopted by any science program whether or not they have course offerings in environmental science or a major in environmental science.