The Department of Chemistry is purchasing thermochemical equipment to update, broaden, and improve the thermochemical emphasis of its physical chemistry laboratory. Students perform experiments involving the observation and measurement of critical temperature and pressure, fusion points and heats of fusion, phase diagrams, polymer phase transitions, and heats of reactions. These experiments are designed to improve student understanding of thermochemical processes by modernizing existing equipment and including student operated computer data collection and analysis. This approach lays the foundation for further Physical Chemistry based research and coursework, and prepares students for the technical approach to chemical observation and analysis prevalent in contemporary science.
