<br/>Typical spectroscopy exercises for undergraduates focus on peak identification for molecular characterization.  This is certainly a valuable exercise because it has direct applications for research and the chemical industry.   However, when energy level diagrams and spectroscopy are discussed in physical chemistry, students have difficulty relating the energy transitions to the spectroscopic lab techniques and acquired data.  Furthermore, differentiation between various techniques and what is happening on a molecular level present additional challenges.  Here, a physical chemistry multi-week lab project is discussed to address these issues.  In this project, each group of students chooses two fluorophores and analyzes the UV/vis, fluorescence, IR, and Raman spectra of each fluorophore in different solvents.  The students compare and contrast the spectra, the energy level diagrams, and the changes in energy occurring for each method.  They still identify and label peaks, but the focus is on the questions: <i>why is there is a peak? What does it mean for the molecule? What happened to the photons? </i>The lab project also includes a discussion of scattering, absorption, and emission processes in order to assist in the understanding of the different spectroscopic techniques.  Finally, students practice writing a “formal” ACS-style manuscript in order to refine their written communication skills.  The purpose is to provide students a different type of exposure to spectroscopic methods, including Raman spectroscopy, but also to give them experimental design practice, since the project is more open ended.  The intended outcome is for students to improve their critical thinking skills by relating light-matter interactions directly to spectroscopy.<br/>

Multi-week project in physical chemistry lab comparing UV/vis, IR, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopies

2019 Spring National Meeting

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