An important goal of undergraduate laboratory instruction in chemistry is to familiarize students with applications and techniques widely used by practicing chemists and other scientists in industry and research. The acquisition of a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer with an interfaced computer and supporting software has allowed undergraduate students in chemistry to collect and store spectral data. They are then able to use the FTIR software on departmental computers for comparison of spectra, spectral library searches, baseline subtractions, and other manipulations or calculations. The combination of FTIR data collection with off line computer data management gives the students experience with practices now used in industrial and research laboratories for the analysis of infrared, ultraviolet, nmr and mass spectral data. The institution contributed to this project in an amount equal to the NSF funds.
