Document Type

Article

Department

​Chemistry​

Publication Date

8-11-2020

Abstract

Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc. One challenge of teaching chemical analysis is the proliferation of sophisticated, but often impenetrable, instrumentation in the modern laboratory. Complex instruments, and the software that runs them, distance students from the physical and chemical processes that generate the analytical signal. A solution to this challenge is the introduction of a student-driven instrument-building project. Visible absorbance spectroscopy is well-suited to such a project due to its relative simplicity and the ubiquity of absorbance measurements. This Article reviews simple instructor- A nd student-built instruments for spectroscopy, providing an overview of common designs, components, and applications. This comprehensive summary includes options that are suitable for in-person or remote learning with K-12 students and undergraduates in general chemistry, analytical chemistry, instrumental analysis, and electronics courses.

Publication Title

Journal of Chemical Education

Volume

97

Issue

8

First Page

2185

Last Page

2195

ISSN

00219584

DOI

10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00404

Included in

Chemistry Commons

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