A four credit hour course designed for chemistry majors who are interested in industrial employment, graduate school and/or professional school (such as medicine). After a discussion of chemical kinetics and reaction mechanisms, we will spend the remainder of the semester examining the microscopic behavior of atoms and molecules using quantum theory. Concepts from quantum theory will then form the basis of a discussion of the spectroscopy of atoms and molecules. Electronic, infrared and magnetic resonance spectroscopies will be emphasized in the course.

Much of our time in lab will be spent using various spectroscopic techniques. The nitrogen-pumped dye laser will be used to study the phosphorescence quenching of an organic compound. The UV laser will be used to determine the difference in bond length of ground and excited states in the uranyl ion. A dynamic chemical process will be studied using the high-field NMR. We will also obtain the infrared rotational-vibrational spectrum of gaseous hydrochloric acid and the components of tobacco smoke. I am sure you will enjoy this lab!