Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry in Undergraduate Instruction

这个项目的目标是提高我们所有本科化学学生的教育质量。接触现代化学技术不仅增加了学生的化学知识基础，也使学生更准确地了解“真正的”化学家是做什么的。这一点对所有化学专业的学生都很重要，而不仅仅是我们的专业。了解现代化学技术的学生应该能够成为知情的、负责任的公民，随着环境问题的持续关注，这一点变得越来越重要。在这个项目中，我们将向各个层次的学生介绍惠普气相色谱/质谱系统，并让他们使用这种强大的技术分离和鉴定有机分子。本项目改编了一系列主要来自《化学教育杂志》的实验，并将这些实验作为基于项目的仪器分析实验室、开放式有机化学实验室和开放式扩展环境分析实验室的基础。非专业学生选修化学与环境，这是一门带有实验室的四学分课程，了解化学家如何使用GC-MS分析水样和土壤样品中的有机污染物。所有化学专业的学生在他们的学术生涯中都会在多个课程中使用GC-MS。一个典型的学生至少要接触四门不同的实验课程。此外，大多数化学专业的学生都参与了自主研究，许多人选择了环境化学选修课。

The goal of this project is to increase the quality of the education experience for all of our undergraduate chemistry students. Exposure to modern chemical techniques not only adds to the students' chemical knowledge base, it also allows the students to more accurately understand what "real" chemists do. This aspect is important for all chemistry students, not just our majors, Students who develop an understanding of modern chemical techniques should be able to act as informed, responsible citizens which is increasingly important as environmental issues continue to be of concern. In this project we are introducing students at all levels to a Hewlett Packard Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry system and are having them use this powerful technique for separation and identification of organic molecules.This project adapts a series of experiments, mainly from the Journal of Chemical Education, using these experiments as the basis of a project-based laboratory for instrumental analysis, an open-ended format for the organic chemistry laboratories, and an open-ended and expanded laboratory in environmental analysis. Non-majors taking Chemistry and the Environment, a four credit hour course with a lab, see how chemists use the GC-MS to analyze water samples and soil samples for organic pollutants. All chemistry majors use GC-MS in multiple courses during their academic careers. A typical student's exposure, at a minimum, occurs in four different laboratory courses. In addition, most chemistry majors participate in independent research and many opt for the environmental chemistry elective.