As the technology becomes available, the Chemistry Department places it into their classes and labs and give the students the chance to learn how to use them and interpret the data from the instrument. Here is a list, ever growing because of the constant change in availability and price, of some of the courses currently being offered with this influence of technology.
In 1999, the second semester of General and Analytical Chemistry Labs saw the inclusion of the Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy by use of the portable IR machine. Though this lab was only to identify the organic functional groups present based on given classification spectrums, the intent was to introduce the students at this stage to an instrument and how to operate it properly. Also, included with the gravimetric techniques learned in this course, the pH meter and the Ultraviolet (UV) Spectroscopy are stressed with their own experiments.
The lecture section of the Organic Chemistry course introduces its students to the theory behind Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy, and possibly Mass Spectroscopy (MS). Before 1999, these three topics were covered in the second semester as one unit, but as of that year, the IR section was moved forward to be discussed with what it identifies, the functional groups of organic compounds. NMR spectroscopy (the determination of structure of an organic compound using, in this case, hydrogens) and MS spectroscopy (the determination of molecular mass) are still discussed in the second semester.
The laboratory section of the Organic Chemistry course introduces the students to the practical application of some of these theories. As of 1999, like the General and Analytical Chemistry lab section, the portable IR is demonstrated and used for simple spectrum after its discussion in class. Also used in a lab is a Gas Chromatograph (GC), which can determine percent concentrations of a mixture of similar compounds; a Melt Temp, which determines the melting point of a crystal by melting the crystal with a heater and measuring the temperature with a thermometer, and a Refractive Index Spectrometer, which determines the particular refractive property the liquid film has on light.
This lecture and lab section develops further the theoretical properties and applications of the three spectroscopic machines under investigation in Organic Chemistry I and II -- IR, NMR, and MS. In the lecture, beside the reintroduction of the general theory to bring the students up to an even level, the students also learn how to determine specific compounds by looking at particular curves within the spectrum. The theory behind the Carbon-13 NMR is also explained and shown how to read actual output from this spectrometer. In the lab, IR and Melt Temps are again used to determine the chemical composition, with the IR being used more than in the other Organic Chemistry courses. Also used in this lab section is the NMR machine for specific experiments, to give the students the chance to learn how to use this machine in case of use in research.
These courses look at the physics behind the spectroscopy, in particular the wave theory involved in IR and UV. The lab section puts this physics into practice.
This lecture and lab section is the heart of the instruction for using the instrumentation within the core curriculum. Within the lecture, the topics discussed are the fundamental principles for the majority of the equipment within a chemistry lab. The laboratory experiments develops the practical use of these instruments by first creating compounds and then analyzing these compounds to determine their composition.
Though no theoretical properties for the instrumentation is discussed, particular instruments are used as they would within a professional research project. Some students may use instruments not discussed in any of their previous classes, and on-job training of the use and properties of that particular machine is required and given by their faculty mentor.