The project is integrating thermal analysis instrumentation into the curriculum of the Chemistry Department. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis are complementary techniques that provide unique and significant information about both the chemical reactions and the physical changes occurring in a sample. The instrumentation is being used in three upper-level chemistry courses, to allow students to experience its use as a quantitative analytical tool. It is also being used as a way to obtain data on physical changes, such as glass transition temperatures in polymers, that are difficult to obtain by other means. This instrumentation is being used to perform experiments that connect the field of chemistry to other closely related sciences, such as materials science, polymer science, and biology. It is familiarizing students with a technique that is not commonly included in the undergraduate curriculum, but is frequently used in commercial and industrial laboratories, particularly those that deal with materials-related problems. Thermal analysis instrumentation provides additional experience to students in the characterization of compounds, which is complementary to the microscale techniques already used.
