Through this grant, the university is integrating a benchtop Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) system into sophomore organic lecture courses and laboratories, the junior level organic laboratory sequence, analytical and inorganic laboratories, and the advanced physical/instrumental/analytical laboratory, aided by the existing campuswide Novell computer network. The project is introducing new experiments to the curriculum and dramatically improving existing experiments. In these laboratories, GC/MS enables students to identify unknowns from their molecular ions, distinguish isomers from fragmentation patterns, conduct EPA-approved analyses, and identify and quantify complex product mixtures. The GC/MS system is also used in undergraduate research projects, where it substantially increases the sophistication and the rate at which product analysis is performed. This broad exposure provides a seamless transition between introductory skills and advanced research training. Approximately 300 chemistry, biochemistry, and biology students use the instrument per year.
