This project is enhancing the quality of undergraduate instruction by using a fluorescence spectrophotometer to carry out steady state and time resolved fluorescence measurements in several upper level undergraduate laboratories. Students have hands-on exposure to fundamental concepts which they often have difficulty grasping. Particularly, concepts involving quantum mechanical theory related to electronic properties of molecules and the interaction of light with molecules are being brought to life in the undergraduate curriculum. The courses affected are Instrumental Analysis, Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry and Independent Study and Research. A carefully chosen set of experiments from the research literature and from the Journal of Chemical Education is being adapted into the courses. Students gain a more detailed understanding of spectroscopy, kinetics, quantum mechanics and structural/optical properties of molecules and materials through laboratory applications of steady state and time resolved emission techniques.
