For a number of years dispersive infrared (IR) spectroscopy at this college has been done only by a small number of chemistry and biology majors. Students majoring in other disciplines have had no contact with the instrumental technique. The experiments performed were inefficient and limited in scope, and there was no provision for the rapid analysis of many samples in large instructional laboratories. This project provides a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer with 0.5-cm resolution and attenuated total reflectance accessory. This modern instrument can have a dramatic impact on the program. It makes possible the rapid analysis of many samples in large instructional labs. This enables many more students to use the instrument, including majors in the new environmental studies program and liberal arts majors in first-year chemistry courses. This project targets primarily freshman and sophomore students. To a smaller extent, the project benefits juniors and seniors, some undergraduates doing research, and selected high school students interested in the sciences. An FTIR enriches the undergraduate experience, attracts current and prospective students to careers in science, and enhances the career marketability for graduates in the sciences. It enables faculty to develop new experiments in instructional labs which had not been possible because of the poor resolution and low sensitivity of dispersive IRs. The success of the project can be measured by the increased number of students using IR, the production of new experiments and lab manuals in lower-division chemistry courses, and the number of undergraduate research publications and presentations based on projects using FTIR.
