Experimental Physical Chemistry II

Catalog description

CHEM 453 is a laboratory course designed to illustrate several of the principles of chemical kinetics and quantum mechanics presented in CHEM 452 , and to demonstrate proper treatment and presentation of quantitative data. The experimental topics for this course include kinetics of decomposition and hydrolysis reactions, and different spectroscopic techniques such as ultra violet-visible, infrared, emission and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. 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.