Introduction of Laser Experiments to the Physical Chemistry Laboratory

该机构将几个激光实验纳入其物理化学实验室。用连续波氦-镉激光器和小型双单色器构成了一台低分辨率拉曼光谱仪，该光谱仪兼有荧光计的功能。这两种形式的仪器都使用一个通用的计算机界面，以允许控制扫描、数据采集和处理以及随后绘制结果。该部门还购置了一台低成本的脉冲氮/染料激光器和相关的电子设备，用于短时间尺度(10-100 ns)的发光寿命测量。这些测量被用来分析激发态金属络合物与有机猝灭剂之间的碰撞诱导能量转移。基于激光的实验不仅让专业学生接触到现代光学和基于计算机的数据采集技术，还强调了实验设计和计算机软件的灵活、积木(而不是黑匣子)方法。这个项目强调一种低成本的方法，将当前的光谱技术引入本科生实验室。这些实验的实施应该会引起寻求保持学生对物理化学兴趣的其他机构的兴趣。该机构为这一项目提供的资金相当于国家科学基金会的资金。

The institution incorporated several laser experiments into its physical chemistry laboratory. A continuous wave Helium-Cadmium laser and a small double monochromator are used to construct a low-resolution Raman spectrometer which also functions as a fluorimeter. Both forms of the instrument use a versatile computer interface to allow control of scanning, the acquisition and manipulation of data, and the subsequent plotting of results. The department also acquired a low-cost pulsed nitrogen/dye laser and associated electronic for use in short time-scale (10-100ns) measurements of luminescent lifetimes. These measurement are used to analyze the collision-induced energy transfer between excited metal complexes and organic quenchers. The laser-based experiments not only expose majors to modern optics and computer- based data acquisition techniques, but also emphasize a flexible, building-block (as opposed to "black-box") approach to experimental design and computer software. This project emphasizes a low-cost approach toward the introduction of current spectroscopic techniques to undergraduate laboratories. Implementation of the experiments should be of interest to other institutions seeking to sustain student interest in physical chemistry The institution contributed to this project in an amount equal to the NSF funds.