This project involved the construction of a cryogenic high vacuum apparatus for the use of undergraduate students enrolled in Physical Chemistry Laboratory, Individual Research Studies, and/or Physical Inorganic Laboratory. The equipment consists of a cryostat with its corresponding vacuum line, two deposition lines, a diode array spectrophotometer and appropriate lamp sources for photochemical experiments. For the two laboratories, the experiments include matrix investigation on the spectrum of isolated HCl, thermal ozonolysis reactions, and photochemically induced isomerizations (IR source). In addition, several undergraduate research projects are being done in the areas of atmospheric chemistry, laser deposition of thin films, solid state chemistry and lanthanide chemistry. These experiments provide undergraduates in the areas of chemistry, physics, chemical engineering and materials science with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with vacuum technology, cryogenics and spectroscopic techniques. The institution is contributing to this project in an amount equal to the NSF funds.
