Experimental Physical Chemistry I

Catalog description

CHEM 451 is a laboratory course designed to illustrate several of the principles of chemical thermodynamics presented in CHEM 450 and to demonstrate proper treatment and presentation of quantitative data. The experimental topics for this course include heat capacity ratio of gases, diffusion of gases, Joule-Thomson coefficients for gases, enthalpies of combustion, freezing point depression, and vapor pressures of liquids. Students will learn how to write quantitative laboratory reports complete with analysis of the uncertainties of the measurements they make. They will also learn how these uncertainties are propagated through each calculation that make use of the initial measurements. Students will become more aware of the importance of experimental design, proper use of instrumentation, and careful data collection.