This project is purchasing laboratory equipment (HPLC, GC-MS) and four 486 PC computers for the first course of a new integrated laboratory sequence. Laboratory experiments are organized around themes that relate mathematical concepts to chemistry through data analysis and focus on the analysis of natural products with modern separation and spectroscopic methods. MathCad is used extensively in the course, as is the Vemier Lab Interface, a user-friendly computer interface for collecting and displaying data in real time. The laboratory experiments are conducted in a "workshop" environment, where students take a more active part in experimental design and data analysis. The experiments that utilize the new equipment take place in a five- week integrated laboratory project at the end of the course. The project involves the separation, purification, and analysis by HPLC and GC-MS of some of the active components of the ginger root.
