Acquisition of a Raman Spectrometer for Undergraduate Research

该补助金为科学院的本科研究提供拉曼光谱仪的购买支持。Coe在物理和化学方面有一个非常成功的本科研究项目，最近已成为光谱学的NSF REU网站。该拉曼系统不仅将补充我们的研究设备的实质性基础，而且还提供了新的机会，这种光谱在物理和化学课程的结合。该拉曼系统将允许在玻璃科学，光学和环境化学的研究工作。项目包括确定新型玻璃的结构，包括碱金属钒酸盐和钒酸铅以及铋酸锂;研究光敏硅酸铅玻璃在激光照射下的结构变化，分析激光从玻璃表面解吸的超结构单元，并检查使用激光电离飞行时间质谱仪获得的结果;测量玻璃的光学碱度，以及研究暴露于腐蚀性环境的材料结构的变化，特别是气相中的物质;通过监测电极中氧化铁的转化，Coe是在其第二年主办的NSF研究经验的本科生（REU）网站，旨在招募学生从小学院，往往从农村环境，很少或根本没有机会进行研究。 该网站的科学重点是光谱学，涵盖光学，材料科学，声学，气相化学，环境化学和化学合成等领域。 超过30名参与物理和化学研究的本科生将利用这种仪器进行工作。对于Coe的学生来说，该仪器不仅是一种研究工具，而且是整个课程中全面接触光谱学的一部分。该拉曼系统将被完全整合到各种课程及其相应的实验室中，为研究生提供拉曼理论和操作方面的培训，并接触所有小学生。这些课程包括材料物理和化学，玻璃和化学，光学和物理化学高级实验室。我们注意到，Coe的基于光谱的REU网站旨在为来自小型大学（通常是农村）的学生提供研究机会，这些学生没有机会动手做可重复的工作。因此，我们必须保持一个更新的，广泛的，研究级的仪器基础，使我们能够在光谱学领域培训这些REU学生。

This grant provides support for the acquisition of a Raman spectrometer for undergraduate research at Coe College. Coe has a very successful undergraduate research program in physics and chemistry, which has recently become an NSF REU site in Spectroscopy. The Raman system will not only complement our substantial base of research equipment, but also provide new opportunities for the incorporation of this kind of spectroscopy in the physics and chemistry curriculum. The Raman system will allow research work in glass science, optics, and environmental chemistry. Projects include the determination of the structure of novel glasses, including alkali and lead vanadates, and lithium bismuthates; investigations of changes in the structure of photosensitive lead silicate glasses upon laser irradiation, to analyze superstructural units desorbed from glass surfaces by laser light, and to check results obtained using a laser ionization time of flight mass spectrometer; measurements of the optical basicity of glasses, and to investigations of changes in the structure of materials that have been exposed to corrosive environments, especially species in the gas phase; studies of the role of surface bound iron in the reduction of nitroaromatic compounds, by monitoring the transformation of iron oxides in electrodes, and by characterizing ligand binding to iron ions on the surface; and studies of the redox reactions at iron-containing mineral surfaces.Coe is in its second year hosting an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site, designed to recruit students from small colleges, often from rural settings, that have little or no opportunities for research. The scientific emphasis of the site is on spectroscopy, covering the areas of Optics, Materials Science, Acoustics, Gas Phase Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, and Chemical Synthesis. Over thirty undergraduate students involved in physics and chemistry research at Coe will make use of this instrument for their work. For the Coe students, the instrument will not only be a research tool, but also part of a comprehensive exposure to spectroscopy throughout the curriculum. The Raman system will be fully integrated into a variety of courses and their corresponding labs, providing training in Raman theory and operation for research students and exposure to all pupils. These courses include Materials Physics and Chemistry, Advanced Labs in Glass and in Chemistry, Optics, and Physical Chemistry. We note that Coe's spectroscopy-based REU site is designed to provide research opportunities for students from small colleges, often rural, who do not have the chance to do hands-on, publishable work. It is therefore essential that we maintain an updated, broad, research-grade instrumentation base to enable us to train these REU students in the field of spectroscopy.