Equipment for a Forensic Science Course for Nonscience Majors

通过这个项目购买的设备是用于与一门为非自然科学专业学生设计的课程相关的实验室项目。这门课程名为《化学与犯罪：从福尔摩斯到现代法医学》，为期一学期，旨在教授从原子吸收光谱和油漆分析到红外光谱和药物分析，再到电泳和DNA分析的法医学基础知识。这笔资金被用于购买六项实验的设备。(1)气相色谱被用来确定血液中酒精的浓度，确定纵火中使用的促进剂的身份，并对含有药物混合物的样品进行表征。(2)正在使用高压液相色谱分离和鉴定可疑样品中的药物。(3)用高压液相色谱分离的样品中存在的药物正在用红外光谱进行鉴定。(4)正在使用限制性内切酶、电泳仪和电源获取用于辨认嫌疑人的DNA图谱。(5)使用可见光谱仪来测定血液和呼吸中酒精的含量。这些实验补充了以前在有限的基础上进行的一系列实验，并取得了惊人的成功。为法医科学实验室购置的各种设备也用于有机和生物化学实验室。为进行上述实验而配备的“犯罪实验室”，为激发传统非理科专业学生的兴趣创造了环境。它使化学研究变得更有趣、更具挑战性和更有意义。该机构为该项目提供的资金相当于国家科学基金会的资金。

The equipment purchased through this project was for a laboratory program associated with a course designed for students who are not majoring in the natural sciences. The course, "Chemistry and Crime: From Sherlock Holmes to Modern Forensic Science", is a one semester course designed to teach the fundamentals of forensic science ranging from atomic absorption spectra and paint analysis to infrared spectroscopy and drug analysis to electrophoresis and DNA analysis. The funds were used to purchase equipment for six experiments. (1) Gas chromatography is being used to determine the concentration of alcohol in blood, to determine the identity of accelerants used in arson and to characterize a sample containing a mixture of drugs. (2) High pressure liquid chromatography is being used to separate and identify drugs in suspect samples. (3) The drugs present in samples separated by high pressure liquid chromatography are being identified by infrared spectroscopy. (4) DNA profiles for suspect identification are being obtained by using restriction enzymes and electrophoresis equipment and power supplies. (5) Visible spectrometers are being employed for determining the blood and breath levels of alcohol. These experiment have supplemented a series of experiments previously in place, on a limited basis, with phenomenal success. The various pieces of equipment acquired for the forensic science laboratory are also used in the organic and biochemistry laboratories. A "crime lab" equipped so that the above experiments can be conducted has created an environment to stimulate the interest of the traditional nonscience majors. It has made the study of chemistry more interesting, more challenging and more rewarding. The institution contributed to this project in an amount equal to the NSF funds.