Development of the Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Laboratory: Laser-Based System for Spectroscopic and Kinetic Studies

化学（12）仪器设备不足目前限制了该机构物理化学实验室课程的多样性。一项调查表明，许多学生没有学习物理化学的动力，挑战在于开发鼓励这些学生的课程内容。本课题是建立一个基于波长可调纳秒脉冲激光系统的物理化学新课程。目标是：(1)让学生接触到跨学科的主题，包括生物、物理和化学领域；(2)包括快速动力学和电子弛豫的主题。主题将包括酶催化蔗糖的反转速率，多肽或二嵌段共聚物的构象转变，猝灭剂对芳香化合物电子弛豫的影响，溶剂对快速热流的响应，以及二苯甲酮的光解。这些主题展示了物理化学概念如何应用于生物系统，并介绍了对化学事件进行实时探测的概念。本课题的核心仪器是基于Nd:YAG泵浦光参量振荡器（OPO）的激光光谱仪系统。这个基于opo的系统包括单色器、光电倍增管检测器、数字存储示波器和CCD相机。提出的系统能够引入以前未研究的实验方法：旋光、散射实验、荧光寿命测量、热透镜量热法和激光闪光光解。计划中的实验室实验改编自《物理化学杂志》和Harvey Mudd学院的项目，该项目得到了早期NSF的资助。评估将由校外咨询委员会提供。

Chemistry (12) Insufficient instrumentation currently limits curriculum diversity in the Physical Chemistry Laboratory conducted at this institution. With a survey indicating that many students are not motivated to study physical chemistry, the challenge has been to develop course content which encourages these students. This project consists of setting up a new physical chemistry curriculum basedon a wavelength tunable nanosecond pulse laser system. The objectives are: (1) to expose students to interdisciplinary topics which integrate the fields of biology, physics, and chemistry, and (2) to include topics on fast kinetics and electronic relaxation. Topics will include the inversion rate of sucrose catalyzed by enzyme, conformational transition of polypeptides or diblock co-polymer, the effect of a quencher on the electronic relaxation of an aromatic compound, solvent response to fast heat flow, and photolysis of benzophenone. These topics demonstrate how physical chemistry concepts are applied to biological systems and introduce the concept of real time probing of a chemical event. Core instrument of this project is a Nd:YAG pumped Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) based laser spectrometer system. Included in this OPO-based system are monochromator, photomultiplier tube detector, digital storage oscilloscope, and a CCD camera. The proposed system enables introduction of previously unstudied experimental methods: optical rotation, scattering experiment, fluorescence lifetime measurement, thermal lens calorimetry, and laser-flash photolysis. Planned laboratory experiments are adaptations from the Journal of Physical Chemistry and the program at Harvey Mudd College which was supported by earlier NSF funding. The evaluation will be provided by an off-campus advisory committee.