A high performance liquid chromatography system will be used to teach principles of HPLC to undergraduate science and engineering students at Manhattan College and the College of Mount St. Vincent. The system will be used in four integrated, upper-division laboratory courses. In these courses, students develop skills and techniques in the analytical, instrumental, physical, synthetic, and biochemical areas. Experiments are sequenced so that basic skills are learned first, with a progression toward sophisticated, project-oriented work in the final course. The project involves both the use of previously tested protocols and the development of new experiments. Their object will be teaching students the principles and applications of HPLC. Several specific chromatographic modes will be used: normal phase, reverse phase, ion exchange, and gel permeation. In addition, several types of detectors will be used: UV/visible variable wavelength absorbance, refractive index, fluorescence, and electrochemical. The curriculum is designed so that fundamental principles are learned in the early labs, while students in the later courses use the HPLC as an investigative tool for topics such as kinetics.
