Enhancement of the Community College Chemistry Curriculum with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

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The goal of this project is to incorporate Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis into several chemistry courses at Sacramento City College (SCC). Currently our dispersive instrument is used for a variety of tasks. The organic students use IR as a tool for substance identification including reaction rnixture/product analysis and the investigation of components in naturaI product mixtures. Analyses performed with our current IR spectrophotometer are slow. The low student throughput and the lack of modem features limits our ability to update existing curricula. We propose to update the spectroscopy component of our curriculum and replace our dispersive IR with an FT-IR spectrophotometer. The main beneficiary of this project will be the organic chemistry courses at SCC, however, allied health chemistry students as well as second semester general chemistry students will also benefit. The incorporation of FT-IR into the organic chemistry curriculum will allow for the enhancement and modernization of existing experiments, the introduction of new methods of data analysis, and the discussion of FT-IR theory. The use of FT-IR and reflectance accessories will virtually eliminate the time constraints associated with the use of our dispersive instrument, thereby allowing for increased student access to lR spectroscopic methods. For allied health students, a more instructive and meaningful experience with IR will be possible. The introduction of FT-IR into general chemistry will provide students with a connection between acquisition of data and theoreticaI concepts presented in lecture as well as hands-on experience with a type of instrumentation which is used in industry and in the upcoming, higher level coursework students will eventually encounter.