Use of GC/MS for Improvement of Undergraduate Education at All Levels of the Chemistry Curriculum

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This project enhances undergraduate chemical education at all levels by integration of a GC/MS into the curriculum. The GC/MS provides user-friendly interfaces, and the presence of network connections in classrooms and laboratories allow for remote access. Students in an introductory course for nonscience majors are being introduced to the instrument through analysis of familiar substances such as spices, coffee and perfumes; within this context, concepts relevant to chemical literacy are introduced. This course is a required one for students interested in elementary education, and the approach of giving such students access to major instrumentation, if successful, will be adapted to a variety of educational programs concerned with teacher education. In the courses for majors, the instrument provides increased capabilities for analysis of organics in air, water and soil samples in environmental chemistry, and is an important addition to the laboratory program in organic chemistry and instrumental analysis. The instrument also is providing an important tool for pursuing the departmental goal of increasing undergraduate research. *