The undergraduate laboratory curricula for general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, and instrumental analysis can be improved by adding a diode-array ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer equipped with a temperature controller and a cell for spectroelectrochemistry. Since the entire spectrum of a solution can be recorded in a few seconds using a diode-array instrument, several new experiments can be added to the chemistry curriculum that take advantage of the rapid data acquisition and the data analysis software. Students have the opportunity to use modern, computer-based instrumentation beginning in their first course as they explore the absorption spectrum of food dyes. Enhancements and additions to the upper-division laboratory curriculum include the characterization of coordination geometry from spectral data; kinetics experiments in which a transient intermediate is followed; an experiment that uses a tandem technique, spectroelectrochemistry; and the analysis of multicomponent systems. This project also gives students experience with a system that incorporates numerous software features for data analysis and that illustrates validation procedures to insure data quality and integrity when gathering data electronically. *
