The quality of undergraduate instruction in organic chemistry and general chemistry is being improved through the acquisition and upgrading of equipment. Major instruments being added are a gas chromatograph (GC) system, a high-pressure liquid chromatograph (HPLC) system, and Apple IIgs computer system and an interactive microware (IMI) data acquisition system. The instruments are enhancing the implementation of the microscale laboratory program and are complementing each other in analytical capabilities, increasing student access to modern equipment, familiarizing them with computer acquisition, storage and manipulation of data, and introducing them to HPLC. Chemical instrumentation is being treated as a an integral part of the laboratory work, thereby strengthening the quality of the learning. Laboratory activities such as kinetic studies, competitive reactions, ad determination of product distribution ratios is allowing students to actually collect data instead of only seeing it in a text book. The project is significantly impacting the quality of science education for a group of students in a community college that serves not only as a lower division program, but also to educate employees in a 10-mile circle of science based corporate neighbors. The grantee is matching the award from non-Federal sources.
