Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum

该项目涉及购买原子吸收光谱仪，它具有火焰和石墨炉原子化的能力。该工具可用于各种入门课程，包括专业和非专业，以及高级课程和本科生研究。由于原子吸收是一种被广泛接受的方法，学生们正在学习20世纪90年代分析和环境实验室如何使用现代仪器，包括计算机接口和控制。具体地说，计划在非主修课程中开设环境化学和营养学展望；平衡与分析和普通化学(加速)实验室科学主修课程；以及高年级课程中的无机化学/物理化学实验室、仪器分析和学生/教师研究项目。为了了解原子吸收方法的优点和局限性，入门和高级学生都要有该仪器的第一手经验，这一点很重要。石墨炉能够检测到十亿分之一到万亿之间的许多元素，这是许多环境和生物样品中痕量金属的出现水平。

This project concerns the purchase of an atomic absorption spectrometer, which has the capability of both flame and graphite furnace atomization. This instrument can be used in a wide variety of introductory courses, both major and nonmajor, as well as in upper division courses and undergraduate research. Because atomic absorption is such a widely accepted method, students are learning how modern instruments are used in analytical and environmental laboratories in the 1990s, including computer interfacing and control. Specifically, experiments are planned for the Environmental Chemistry and Perspectives in Nutrition nonmajor courses; Equilibrium and Analysis and General Chemistry (Accelerated) Laboratory science major introductory courses; and the Inorganic/Physical Chemistry Lab, Instrumental Analysis, and student/faculty research projects in the upper-division courses. It is important that both introductory and advanced students get first-hand experience with this instrument in order to understand the advantages and limitations of the atomic absorption method. The graphite furnace enables detection of many elements in the parts per billion to trillion range, which is the level of occurrence of trace metals in many environmental and biological samples.